Daniel Ricciardo’s future seems uncertain ever since the start of summer break. The Australian has struggled throughout the season with his form.
Ever since Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement, new surprises and news are coming in every day. Alonso switched teams which made Alpine promote Oscar Piastri to drive for them next season. However, the Australian had other plans and straight-out refused the offer.
Ever since that, the 21-year-old is being linked with McLaren where it is indicated that he will replace Daniel Ricciardo.
Daniel Ricciardo has a contract with McLaren till the end of the 2023 season. This contract can only be terminated by Ricciardo himself. So, it is believed that McLaren is pursuing Ricciardo to move out early to make way for Piastri.
But, even after Ricciardo moves out, there are still teams that are in the mood of signing the 33-year-old Australian. It is rumored that there are four teams Ricciardo can move to. Let’s take a look:
Daniel Ricciardo future – Where after McLaren?
The Alpine-Piastri-McLaren contract drama has dragged Ricciardo along it even after the Australian would not want to. Nevertheless, it’s clear now that he is just not a part of the drama. Rather, he is at the center of the storm. With Ricciardo’s seat under threat in McLaren, where can the 33-year-old go?
ALPINE – Back to the old team?
Alpine is the most obvious alternative right now for Ricciardo. Let’s look at factors that can influence the 33-year-old to return to his old team.
Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull for Renault back in 2019. He drove for Renault (now Alpine) for 2 years. Going back to his old team does make sense. Other than that, if Piastri is really signed by McLaren, Alpine and Ricciardo will find themselves in a similar situation. Both can provide each other with what they want.
Ricciardo can provide Alpine with a driver after Alpine lost its 2 drivers within a few days. Whereas, Alpine can get a talented driver back.
Ricciardo’s move to Alpine makes the most sense out of all teams he can possibly go to. It is rumored that ever since the McLaren angle came in the Piastri-Alpine drama, Ricciardo has been in talks with Alpine F1 for a probable seat in the future.
HAAS – US is the way for Ricciardo?
Haas is the second team on the list where Ricciardo could go. The American-based team is doing nicely this season, fighting for points in every race. The midfield team seems to have got the advantage of regulations change.
Just like Ricciardo, the future of Haas driver Mick Schumacher also seems uncertain. Many people even think the Germans might leave F1 after this season.
Nevertheless, the contract of Mick is not renewed yet and Haas team principal Guenther Steiner is certainly not satisfied with his performances.
The only problem with Ricciardo’s entry into the team seems to be the Ferrari angle. There is a lack of clarity on whether Ferrari has a final say on the second seat at Haas. This is believed to be a part of the technical agreement between both teams as Ferrari is the engine supplier. In that case, Ricciardo would be ruled out of a probable seat at Haas.
Moreover, a driver like Daniel Ricciardo comes with a hefty price tag and Haas has always struggled with budget problems. So it would be difficult for Haas to sign the Australian driver.
WILLIAMS – Daniel Ricciardo’s future team in blue?
Amid the Piastri-Alpine drama, Williams also lost a possible driver at least for the 2023 season. It was assumed that if Alonso hadn’t left, Oscar Piastri would have been loaned out to Williams for 1 season. The Australian would have driven for the team at least in 2023 before coming back to Alpine.
However, things haven’t gone as planned and now Williams also doesn’t seem to have a successor for 2023. It looks certain that Nicholas Latifi will move out after this season.
This can give Williams a perfect opportunity to get an experienced driver in their line-up. Something that they haven’t got for the last 5 years.
However, this option seems highly unlikely as Ricciardo would look to restore his reputation. A team of Williams stature won’t be able to guarantee him more than lower-midfield level performances.
Also, Logan Sargeant also seems in a hunt for the seat now as Piastri is out of the box.
ALFA ROMEO
The least possible option for Ricciardo is Alfa Romeo. The team is one of the major gainers after the regulations change. The team has shown a nice pace and is on its way to securing its best-ever point finish in its independent history in the sport.
Zhou Guanyu’s contract will run out after the season and although the Chinese rookie has adapted himself well, the team is yet to extend his contract.
Moreover, the team is under speculation to be bought by Audi for the 2026 regulations change. If Audi does come in, it might want to get the best drivers possible. However, this can take longer.
Nevertheless, even after probably having a vacant seat, Alfa Romeo is not likely to sign Ricciardo as they already have Valtteri Bottas as their main driver and they certainly don’t want another leader.
The seat next to Bottas will most certainly be occupied by the Sauber team’s F2 drivers.
Nevertheless, we can surely say if Ricciardo himself doesn’t decide to retire, he will certainly get a new F1 seat. We just have to see how he regains his reputation back.
The 33-year-old 8-time race winner can certainly make a comeback. We just need to wait and watch.
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