Ex F1 Champ Gives a Brutal Reality Check to Daniel Ricciardo Over Replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

In 2018, Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull to join Renault to become the main man. However, it didn’t play out according to plan. The Australian left the Milton-Keynes outfit to win races and possibly a championship. In his first season, he could only manage to secure 54 points in Alpine (then Renault). The Australian had a better second season, finishing P5 in the drivers’ championship with 119 points.

Daniel Ricciardo decided to leave Renault in 2020 and join McLaren. Despite getting McLaren their first win since 2012, the Honey Badger was comfortably beaten by teammate Lando Norris. Unfortunately, it was not the end of his misery.

The 2022 season has been a season to forget for the 8-time Grand Prix winner. He has a mere 29 points to his name, with just 5 races to go. It’s a well-known fact that Daniel will be replaced by Oscar Piastri at McLaren next season. This has led to speculations of him taking up the reserve role at Mercedes and possibly replacing Lewis Hamilton in the future.

Ex-Formula 1 world champion, Jenson Button, has some stern words for Daniel Ricciardo amid rumors. Talking about the current situation, Jenson said, “I guess he’ll probably think ‘well, Lewis might retire and then I’ll jump in his seat. But Lewis says he’s going to be around for five years. So he would be waiting a long time.”

“So it needs to be the team where he thinks he can get a seat for 2024, otherwise it’s game over because you get forgotten after a year in F1.”

Read More: Lando Norris Opens the Doors to Scrutinized Relationship With Daniel Ricciardo

The Australian has 5 races to show what he is capable of or it could be curtains for him. However. He has been in much better form of late.

Daniel Ricciardo stunned the world with an incredible drive at the Singapore GP

It’s been a torrid season for the Honey Badger. But his drive at Marina Bay will give him loads of confidence. This is Daniel’s first P5 result since 2021 Saudi. Lando Norris was also full of praise for his teammate after the race.

Lando, talking about Daniel’s performance, said, “Fair play to him, he [Ricciardo] has done a great job, we maximized today. Literally could not have done any better. So, great job by everyone, by the whole strategy team as well.”

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It is extremely sad to imagine Daniel Ricciardo in a reserve role at Mercedes. But desperate situations call for desperate measures. Where do you guys think Daniel Ricciardo will end up at the end of the season?