Daniel Updates
Daniel Ricciardo's Updates
Daniel Ricciardo’s future in the sport of F1 is probably the biggest news this summer break as many fans, pundits and analysts try to give their best prediction as to what Daniel could do amidst this fiasco that is his impeding exit from McLaren. And after a few days of silence from both McLaren and Daniel, reports have now comeout regarding Daniel’s plans and requests if he were to leave the team.
So what are these demands? Is it a done deal now that Daniel leaves McLaren at season’s end? And what does Lando have to say about Daniel’s issues? And how does Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer plan on resolving all of this? Well let’s talk about it then. But before we do, consider subscribing to the channel to get updated on our latest uploads. Now that’s out of the way, let’s get started.
On paper, Daniel Ricciardo is still contracted to perform his services for McLaren but due to his consistent underwhelming performance, reports this past week have said that Ricciardo’s time with the team is up and the team is planning on replacing him with fellow Australian driving sensation Oscar Piastri. So, if the reports are true, what happens to the last year of Daniel’s contract and his promised pay for that season?
Well according to the reputable Australian publication Speedcafe, Daniel has asked for 21 million dollar payout from McLaren to walk away from the team without anymore added obstacles to his replacement’s arrival. Speedcafe also has reported that Daniel is the only party to have the right to cancel the contract between him and the team, hence the eerie silence from McLaren through these chaotic times the team is in.
And to add to that, Speedcafe would also reveal that should Daniel drive for another team next season, any payment he receives from his new team that is 21 million dollars and below will be refunded to McLaren. But the publication would say that it is highly unlikely that the 21 million dollars will be the final figure as this will surely be haggled down by the end of their discussions. These recent events and the lack of confirmation and clarifications from McLaren has angered Daniel’s fans with them saying that McLaren has done Daniel dirty and that the honey badger should walk away from the team.
And if we were to base things off Daniel’s comments about his experiences with the team and the MCL36, it seems as though their relationship really never has and never will work out if the 2 chose to stay together for the last year of his contract. Coming into this season with the new regulations that brought back the ground effect cars, Daniel hoped that he would close the gap between him and his teammate Lando Norris. But as we all know by now that would not be the case and the complete opposite would. In a recent interview with Motorsport.com Daniel would say:
“The regulations make the car feel different, but the DNA of the car is still very similar. Some of the things from last year which I struggled with, they are still in this car. It’s something I think we are starting to understand better what it is. Because obviously I tried to describe it, but to really understand, is it aero, is it is geometry, like… you know what I mean? We are starting to understand better what it is, and Lando also does complain about it. I think he’s just used to it.”
Daniel would then share that his efforts to learn and get on top of these issues would get worse as the problems would seem to compound the more time he spent with the MCL36. In his words:
“Some of the, let’s call it struggles or difficulties, are a carry over – and then there might be a few new things where you’re like, damn, okay! It kind of just comes down to the feel. It’s probably still hard to get a read, I guess, and to really build consistency in a race sometimes. My lap time variation might be quite big, and that’s normally like uncharacteristic. That kind of highlights where I’ll get caught off or something, I’m like, ‘oh shit, I didn’t expect the car to do that in that corner.’ It’s still just a little bit tricky to read I guess, going on a simple term. That’s where it can build some frustration, like, ‘why did I lock up then? I didn’t do anything to provoke that, so why the hell did that just happen!’ Just stuff like that.”
Daniel would also say that he thinks what is the main issue that is costing him lap times saying:
“Going from Red Bull to Renault and Renault to McLaren, probably the braking is the biggest thing which it seems like you need to adapt,” he said at the start of his McLaren career. “That’s one where I’m still trying to get on top of it and understand where the limit is, of the car.”
And as for his teammate Lando Norris, the British driving superstar has been accused by Daniel’s fans and people from the outside looking of playing mind games on Daniel to gain the edge. But in a recent interview, Lando would admit that he often would hand over his own data to Daniel to help the honey badger understand the MCL 36 more in order to beat Alpine in the championship. IN his words:
“Mind games? In what way? What mind games can I play? No, it’s the opposite. I’m trying to help him as much as I can. It’s for the benefit of us as a team, to try and beat Alpine at the end of the day. [Ricciardo] sees everything that I see in terms of data and everything. I’m offering more help than what I normally would, let’s say. If we were fighting for a world championship, I’m saying more things than maybe what I would do. That’s what we need for the team, it’s what I want for the team at the minute. So yeah, the opposite of mind games, whatever that is – mind soothing!”
And speaking of Alpine, team boss Otmar Szafnauer has sent a warning to both McLaren and Oscar Piastri after the mockery the team had to endure after the big misunderstanding regarding Piastri’s signing. But Alpine would argue that as their junior driver, Piastri is contractually obligated to drive for the team next year. Otmar would reveal that Piastri had signed a contract with the team back in November saying:
“We have a contract with Piastri which he signed in November. We have spoken to our lawyers and they have told us this is a binding contract, so part of that contract allows us to put Oscar in one of our cars in 2023, which is the reason we issued the press release. expected more loyalty from Piastri. He should have it with the team that has taken care of him, that during the last year has put him in a Formula 1 car so he would be ready, so he would know the circuits. I expected more loyalty from Oscar than he is showing. I started in 1989 in Formula 1 and I’ve never seen anything like this. And it’s not about Formula 1, it’s about integrity as a human being. There should be some loyalty to the fact we have invested literally millions and millions of euros to prepare him. So I don’t understand it.”
But now that the FIA’s Contract Recognition Board or CRB has seemingly declared that both of Piastri’s contracts with Alpine and McLaren are valid, a legal battle is sure to ensue. In a recent interview, Otmar would comment on the situation saying:
Going to the High Court is over 90% certain that’s what we’ll do. The American said he contacted Formula One’s Contract Recognition Board (CRB) last week but that avenue might not be sufficient. “If the CRB says ‘your licence is only valid at Alpine’, and then he (Piastri) says ‘that’s great but I’m never driving for them, I’ll just sit out a year’, then you’ve got to go to the High Court for compensation. If the CRB eventually says that only the contract with Alpine is valid and Piastri then thinks: ‘That’s nice, but I’m not going to drive for them. I’ll wait a year’, then we’ll fight on for compensation.
And there you have it guys, so what do you think? Who comes out on top in this legal battle between the 2? And will Daniel inevitably sign with Alpine if the CRB decides to side with McLaren on this issue? Let us know in the comment section below and as always, don’t forget to like and subscribe to the channel if you haven’t!
