After losing his position with McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo is expected to be on the sidelines of Formula 1 in 2023. As a reserve, the Australian will drive for Red Bull. According to Otmar Szafnauer, Alpine did speak with Daniel Ricciardo about a potential drive for the 2023 season before deciding to sign Pierre Gasly. He adds that he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Australian return to the F1 grid.
After two erratic seasons with McLaren—one high, a victory at the Italian Grand Prix; the other, being routinely outperformed by teammate Lando Norris—Ricciardo left Formula One over the winter.
Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren contract details reveal pay increase in 2023
According to several TV news channels, the 33-year-old was handsomely compensated by McLaren for his services, but the specifics of Ricciardo’s contract are frequently ignored. In 2023, McLaren was expected to raise Daniel Ricciardo’s salary. Ricciardo consented to a slight pay cut (in comparison to his Renault agreement) in the first two years of the contract when the parties initially settled on a three-year agreement. However, Ricciardo was scheduled to get paid more in his final year with the team (which would have been 2023), which would have brought his pay back to what it was when he was with Renault. By choosing another route, the British team was able to forgo paying the 33-year-old’s raise. Ricciardo’s total 2023 compensation from the two F1 teams will be USD 24.3 million as of now.
After parting ways with the Woking team, Ricciardo joined Red Bull in a third driver position—the team with which he won his other seven Formula One races—and will compete in this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
Following the announcement of his departure from McLaren, Ricciardo was initially linked to several other Formula One team, including Alpine. He had previously competed for the French team for two seasons under the Renault banner, but Gasly ultimately won the position alongside Esteban Ocon.
Rubbernecking F1 market news now, Szafnauer responded to a question about Ricciardo at the team’s Friday press conference at Albert Park by saying, “We had discussions with Daniel and ended up with Pierre when he became available. He’s signed with Red Bull now, but I think he’s a fantastic racing driver; he’s still young, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s back racing in the future.”
