Former McLaren team principal and new CEO of the Sauber Group Andreas Seidl has opened up on how challenging it was to terminate Daniel Ricciardo’s contract, with the German labelling it as “one of the toughest moments” in his motorsport career.
Ricciardo’s two-year spell with the Woking-based side was largely a disappointing one, with the only real exception being the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
On that day at Monza, everything just seemed to perfectly click for the fan favourite, who for once actually looked comfortable driving for the team.
Ricciardo’s eighth career win was astonishingly McLaren’s first since 2012, marking a truly momentous day that the outfit will never forget.
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Apart from that, though, there really isn’t anything else to celebrate from their partnership, with Lando Norris having been the dominant driver in the side.
Everybody wanted Ricciardo and McLaren to work, with many still trying to adjust to the fact that the Honey Badger won’t be on the grid next season.
Ricciardo is, of course, returning to Red Bull in 2023 to become their development driver, a move which will see him return to an environment that he has mostly thrived in.
Had his contract been honoured at McLaren then he’d actually be racing for the British side in 2023, with that being when his contract was supposed to expire.
Since the close of the season, Seidl has opened up on his relationship with the 33-year-old, something which made sacking him “tough”.
“Professionally, it was definitely one of the toughest things I had to deal with in my motorsport career,” said Seidl.
“Having these open and honest discussions with a great driver and a great guy like Daniel was tough.
“Especially then, telling him, openly and honestly about our decision that we wanted to split ways early.
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“At the same time, I’m very, very happy that we both managed together to do it in a way, with this transparency and open dialogue we always had, that we still could finish a season together with great commitment from both sides to finish on a high.
“We still have a great relationship where we can still go for a dinner or a beer at night.
“That is very, very important for me because, in the end, it’s about the human beings in this sport as well, despite all the complex technology.”