Currently reading: Daniel Ricciardo to leave McLaren F1 team at end of season

Australian driver to depart from team after end of 2022 season, with his future yet to be confirmed

Daniel Ricciardo will leave the McLaren Racing Formula 1 team at the end of the current season.

His decision comes after both parties agreed to end his contract early. It was due to end after the 2023 season.

The Australian driver joined McLaren from Renault for 2021 and enjoyed some success – including an emotional victory at Monza that year – but failed to maintain his momentum.

At the time of writing, he is in 12th place in the F1 driver's championship, some five places and 57 points behind younger team-mate Lando Norris.

McLaren is yet to confirm Ricciardo's replacement.

He said: "It has been a privilege to be a part of the McLaren Racing family for the last two seasons, but following several months of discussions with [CEO] Zak [Brown] and [team principal] Andreas [Seidl], we've decided to terminate my contract with the team early and agree to mutually part ways at the end of this season.

"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."

Seidl said: "We will never forget that memorable race win in Monza, which was a great boost for the whole team.

"We still have an important battle in the constructors’ championship ahead of us for the remainder of the season, and we look forward to battling this out with Daniel and Lando."

Ricciardo's best finish in the 2022 season so far was sixth in the Australian Grand Prix in April, which earned eight of his 19 total points.

He rose to prominence at Red Bull Racing but has struggled to find consistent form since moves to Renault and then McLaren.

Charlie Martin

Charlie Martin Autocar
Title: Editorial assistant, Autocar

As part of Autocar’s news desk, Charlie plays a key role in the title’s coverage of new car launches and industry events. He’s also a regular contributor to its social media channels, providing videos for Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook and Twitter.

Charlie joined Autocar in July 2022 after a nine-month stint as an apprentice with sister publication What Car?, during which he acquired his gold-standard NCTJ diploma with the Press Association.

Charlie is the proud owner of a Fiat Panda 100HP, which he swears to be the best car in the world. Until it breaks.

Join the debate

Comments
1
Add a comment…
Peter Cavellini 24 August 2022

 Yep, not been performing on the Track for a while, the pressure to perform must be immense, he might stay in F1, there are a few options, but, whether this would make a difference is debatable.