McLaren Boss Fuels the Rumor Mill With His Latest Comments on Outgoing Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo showed a glimpse of his old self to the fans in the Mexican GP. The McLaren driver executed a well-planned strategy which helped him finish P7, despite a 10 seconds penalty. He won some important points for the Woking-based team in their fight against Alpine for P4 in the constructor’s championship.

After a dramatic summer, things are slowly starting to clear a little in the grid. McLaren and Daniel mutually terminated their contract after a string of bad performances from the Aussie driver. However, their relationship could continue after team boss Andreas Seidl fueled the rumor mill, with Daniel staying at McLaren as their reserve driver.

Daniel put out an electric performance in Mexico which won him the Driver of the Day award. Furthermore, Seidl didn’t rule out the possibility of keeping Daniel on the Papaya team. The McLaren team boss told the Spanish edition of Motorsport.com, “That’s a discussion we haven’t had yet.” (Translated via Google Translate)

He further added, “It’s a discussion we usually have in the winter, as you know also, we had an agreement with other teams to share [referring to Oscar Piastri and the contract they owned with Alpine], so there’s absolutely no, let’s say, bad feelings between Daniel and us, so it’s possible.”

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The former Red Bull driver will be looking to enjoy his last 2 races remaining in Brazil and Abu Dhabi. Moreover, he’ll hope to impress a few team bosses in the process and secure a chance for a race seat in 2024.

Daniel Ricciardo reflects on a troublesome 2 years at McLaren

Perhaps, one of the most likable drivers of this generation, it’s clear as day why so many fans are upset they won’t get to see Daniel on the race track next year. The Aussie driver reflects on his 2 years at McLaren and reassures everyone that there is still more racing from him to come.

Daniel said, “The last two years have been quite hard. You put a lot in, and when it doesn’t come back, it can get you down. I know the value of a summer break. Stepping away can give you a different perspective.”

Daniel further stated, “I truly believe it will be a blessing in disguise. I can confidently say that I won’t be on the grid behind a wheel. But I still want to be in the sport, working with a team.” 

“I’m not done. But it will look different.”

Daniel is rumored to take the vacant reserve seat at Mercedes. Both their reserve drivers, Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne signed for AlphaTauri and Aston Martin, respectively.

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It will be interesting to see which role Daniel picks for himself. However, the Honey badger will not be thinking about them as much currently. He’ll be excited to race in Brazil and Abu Dhabi before taking a sabbatical next year. Which team should sign Daniel Ricciardo?