Daniel Ricciardo's days with McLaren are numbered. After a season filled with rumors about a potential divorce with his current team, the Australian is set to part ways with the British side after two seasons racing for them.
Ricciardo spoke candidly in a recent post on his social media accounts about his looming exit from McLaren upon the conclusion of the 2022 F1 campaign:
“I wanted to share some news,” said Daniel Ricciardo. “It's not great. It's bittersweet for sure, but I think it's best you hear it from me. 2022 will be my last year with McLaren. Obviously, we put in a lot of effort from both sides, but it just hasn't worked the way we wanted so the team has decided to make a chance for next year. We had a lot of discussions, but in the end we mutually agreed that it was the right thing for both of us.”
Ricciardo assured his fans that the rest of the season will go on without a hitch even with his non-existent future on the team and the uncertainty of where he'll head to next. He emphasized, however, that while he's not sure what the next step of his career will be, he's not done with Formula 1 and will do what it takes to stay racing “at the highest level”:
“For the future, what lies ahead. I'm not sure yet, but we'll see. … The sport, I still love it. This hasn't affected any of that. I still have the fire in me. That believe in my belly that I can do this at the highest level.
Daniel Ricciardo has had a tumultuous time since his exit from Red Bull back in 2018. This is the latest stumbling block in what's been a solid F1 career from the 8-time race winner but safe to say he'll make sure it's not the end of the road.