According to sources within the Formula 1 paddock, McLaren notified Daniel Ricciardo that they intend to cancel his contract for 2023 in favour of Oscar Piastri.
After Fernando Alonso surprised Alpine and Formula 1 with the announcement that he was replacing the retiring Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin, it was logical to assume that highly rated reserve driver Oscar Piastri would take the vacated seat at Alpine in 2023.
Alpine announced that Piastri was indeed the choice for then for 2023 and beyond, however less than 2 hours after the announcement Oscar Piastri responded via social media denying that he was racing with Alpine and confirming that he would NOT be driving for them in 2023.
With such a stern reply from Piastri it would be safe to assume that he was looking at other options, not that long ago it seemed as though he was heading to Williams to partner Albon but nothing official was ever announced. This was due to McLaren reaching out to Piastri’s team when it became clear that he could be available for the 2023 season. McLaren were seen as a better option for the young driver than Williams.
HOW TO SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE DANNY ….
The Ricciardo/McLaren partnership has not delivered the results that were expected, leading to questions regarding the Australian’s future. Ricciardo has a contract with McLaren for 2023, which will mean discussions around contracts will need to be sorted. Danny Ricciardo has stated that he has not interest in moving to the group’s Formula E team and would prefer to stay in Formula 1. It could end up being a situation where McLaren pays Danny Ricciardo to not race for them in 2023, in a deal similar to the Raikkonen/Ferrari deal a few years back.
McLaren were looking to bring Piastri in as a reserve driver for 2023, however they are now looking to upgrade this to a race drive if an agreement with Ricciardo can be reached.
Alpine are also still in the mix, having announced Piastri for 2023, it looks like they will be heading to Contract Recognition Board to force Piastri to stay with them.
This saga has alot more twists and turns to go….how do you see this panning out?