Daniel Ricciardo looks set for the most challenging second half of the season of his career, with the Australian having to manage his struggles with the McLaren F1 Team, his poor on-track performances, and most importantly, his future.
The Honey Badger has appeared to be his usual bubbly self during the summer break, which he’s spent touring the United States, a country he has expressed his love for in the past.
However, his future and most importantly, his seat at McLaren, have been spoken about non-stop during the FIA shutdown.
Whilst nothing is official as of yet, it’s all but confirmed that Alpine F1 Team reserve driver Oscar Piastri will take Ricciardo’s seat, and that Ricciardo will be given a fee in the range of £17 million to step away from his contract.
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Ricciardo is contracted with McLaren until the end of 2023, meaning that the Aussie will need to be paid the large sum mentioned above to relinquish his place.
So, where does leaving McLaren leave Ricciardo?
Well, the easiest and most competitive option for him would be to return to Enstone, which was formerly the base of the Renault F1 Team, now known as Alpine.
Ricciardo is reported to be the favourite to take Fernando Alonso’s seat, with the Spaniard off to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin.
Alpine are on the rise, and it could be argued that they are currently a better team than McLaren.
Should Ricciardo still dream of race wins and titles, then the French team would be his best bet.
The only other option which has recently emerged is the Haas F1 Team, with ESPN having reported that team principal Guenther Steiner rang Ricciardo prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix about potentially replacing Mick Schumacher.
Schumacher is without a contract for 2023 and is at risk of not being retained by the American team, who it’s believed he has a bad relationship with.
Schumacher too has also been linked to Alpine, something which there seems to be some truth behind, with the German and Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi following each other on social media.
If Ricciardo were to replace the 23-year-old at Haas, it would be a bizarre and crazy move, which is why it would be perfect for the 33-year-old.
Ricciardo has rarely taken the easy route in F1, with some of his career decisions leaving much to question.
However, whilst winning titles would be off the cards at Haas, it would be a great chance for Ricciardo to go back to being a team leader whilst being able to spend time in the country he loves.
The team is on the rise, something McLaren certainly aren’t at the moment after taking a step backwards this season.
Ricciardo would also get the added benefit of a Ferrari engine which has proven to be one of the best in terms of performance.
Ricciardo hasn’t been a number one driver since his Renault days, with him having well and truly fallen into Lando Norris’ shadow at the Woking-based side.
Whilst Kevin Magnussen would be no push-over, you’d like to think that the Australian would have what it takes to lead the side towards the front of the midfield.
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The idea of Ricciardo at Haas does seem plausible and actually pretty exciting; it would also do the team good in financial terms, with the Aussie being a fan-favourite.
There is one massive issue, though, Ricciardo will have to take a huge pay cut to join Haas, with the side being one of the worst-financed teams on the grid.
This alone might be something Ricciardo isn’t prepared to do, especially as he nears the end of his F1 career.