Daniel Ricciardo is expected to be replaced at McLaren next season by fellow Australian Oscar Piastri; Ricciardo is currently without a seat for the 2023 campaign; watch the Belgian GP this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1, with first practice live at 1pm on Friday
Thursday 25 August 2022 06:17, UK
Daniel Ricciardo will leave McLaren at the end of the season after he and the team agreed a mutual early termination of his contract.
Confirmation of the early split opens the door for Oscar Piastri to join the Woking team, although Alpine are still adamant they have a contract for their wantaway youngster to stay.
"It's been a privilege to be a part of the McLaren Racing family for the last two seasons," said Ricciardo, an eight-time race winner who has struggled for form since joining McLaren in 2021.
"Following several months of discussions with Zak & Andreas we have decided to terminate my contract with the team early and agree to mutually part ways at the end of this season.
"I'll be announcing my own future plans in due course but regardless of what this next chapter brings, I have no regrets and am proud of the effort and work I gave McLaren, especially the win in Monza, last season."
Ricciardo did have a contract for 2023 after signing a three-year deal when joining McLaren and had been adamant - even releasing a statement on social media in July before the Alpine-Piastri drama began - that he would be staying.
But amid poor form on the track, an extraordinary transfer saga then hastened his exit.
Fernando Alonso kickstarted the wild sequence of events in early August when announcing he was leaving Alpine for Aston Martin in 2023, before Alpine appeared to act quickly by announcing their current reserve Piastri.
However, F1 hopeful Piastri refuted his team's statement in a now infamous social media post, and insisted he will be racing elsewhere next season.
McLaren are the team who are believed to have an agreement with Piastri, and have been intending to move on from Ricciardo for months.
Piastri is expected to join McLaren, assuming it is cleared by the FIA's Contract Recognition Board, with Alpine arguing that they have a contract for Piastri, and the Australian sure he has an option to leave.
Ricciardo arrived at McLaren as a high-profile signing in 2021 after impressing at the front at Red Bull and then establishing himself as Renault's team leader, but hasn't reached the heights expected.
He has been out-performed by young British driver Lando Norris, with his Italian GP win last year the high point of his stay.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown appeared to hint at a split earlier this summer when he said Ricciardo hadn't hit expectations, and suggested there were "mechanisms" to get out of his contract early.
He said in the team's statement, which came on Wednesday ahead of the Belgian GP: "It's no secret that we hoped we could achieve more together but seeing him stand on the top step of the podium as a McLaren driver was a highlight."
The terms of Ricciardo's exit have not been revealed, but he is free to join another team and has made it clear that he intends to stay in F1.
"I've never been more motivated to compete and be a part of a sport that I love so much and look forward to what comes next," the 33-year-old said.
Alpine have emerged as frontrunners for his signature and should they fail in keeping hold of Piastri, a reconciliation between Ricciardo and Renault may be his best option of a competitive seat.
The other seats available in F1 for 2023 are at Haas, who have reportedly contacted Ricciardo, AlphaTauri, Alfa Romeo and Williams.
