Daniel Ricciardo is set for pay-off negotiations with McLaren after the Woking team agreed a deal to sign Oscar Piastri.
The F2 champion was expected to be loaned to Williams for 2023, with Alpine keen on keeping Fernando Alonso. But the Spaniard's surprise move to Aston Martin triggered a change of plans, and the French team decided instead to promote Piastri to a race seat alongside Esteban Ocon.
But they seemingly did so without his permission, as barely 90 minutes later the 21-year-old released a statement on social media in which he denied having signed a contract. "I will not be driving for Alpine next year," was his unambiguous sign-off.
Alpine insist they are confident that they have the legal standing to keep Piastri, who is a member of their development programme and has been primed for a Formula 1 seat by the team. But since McLaren made it clear they had interest in the Australian, his manager Mark Webber has been working on a deal.
Autosport claim that deal has now been signed and sealed, with Piastri initially guaranteed a reserve deal for 2023. But the report adds that the team has officially told Ricciardo that they intend to replace him a year early so that the younger Aussie can race next year.
Ricciardo's contract guarantees him a spot until the end of next season, meaning he has the power to refuse to compromise on an early exit deal should he wish to do so. But it is expected he will work to agree a settlement so he can find a new F1 seat and end his McLaren nightmare.
It is unlikely the eight-time race winner will be short of options. In the last two weeks alone, four different teams have made contact with him to assess his availability for next season, amid his ongoing struggle for consistency at McLaren,
Alpine is one of the options available to him, despite the fact he left the Enstone outfit to join McLaren in the first place two years ago. He burnt bridges with former chief Cyril Abiteboul in the process, but he is no longer in charge – chief executive Laurent Rossi and team principal Otmar Szafnauer are the ones with the decision-making power.
"I mean, if you look at Fernando, for example, he comes and goes, and I think that happens to other drivers too," said the latter. ""And I don't think that's an issue at all... we've got to make sure that we complement that plan with the best driver that we can, and there are some options out there for us."
