Photo: McLarenF1 / Twitter
Despite rumors circulating about his departure from McLaren in 2023, Daniel Ricciardo will hear none of it as he has just reaffirmed his commitment to his team and the sport of Formula 1. Not only that, but the Australian driver says he wants to win now more than ever.
Since arriving at McLaren in 2021 from Renault (now Alpine), Ricciardo has struggled in adapting his driving style to his new car. Sure, he may have won the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, but other than that, he’s been generally unable to match his teammate, Lando Norris, in either qualifying or racing.
This year, he’s heard all about the drivers lining up to replace him at McLaren in 2023, such as AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly or IndyCar star Colton Herta, which is probably why he decided to address all these rumors in a widespread social media assault.
“There have been a lot of rumors around my future in Formula 1, but I want you to hear it from me. I am committed to McLaren until the end of next year and am not walking away from the sport,” said the Australian.
“Appreciate it hasn’t always been easy, but who wants easy! I’m working my ass off with the team to make improvements and get the car right and back to the front where it belongs.”
“I still want this more than ever,” he goes on to say. “See you in Le Castellet. Daniel.”
He made these comments only a day after McLaren announced the signing of reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou, which may or may not be a coincidence – the British outfit also brought in Colton Herta this week to test last year’s race car in Portugal.
As far as this year is concerned, we’re not sure Ricciardo can do much to salvage his position in the standings, at least not when compared to Lando Norris. The latter is currently seventh with 64 points, while Ricciardo is twelfth with just 17 points.
This year, he’s heard all about the drivers lining up to replace him at McLaren in 2023, such as AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly or IndyCar star Colton Herta, which is probably why he decided to address all these rumors in a widespread social media assault.
“There have been a lot of rumors around my future in Formula 1, but I want you to hear it from me. I am committed to McLaren until the end of next year and am not walking away from the sport,” said the Australian.
“Appreciate it hasn’t always been easy, but who wants easy! I’m working my ass off with the team to make improvements and get the car right and back to the front where it belongs.”
“I still want this more than ever,” he goes on to say. “See you in Le Castellet. Daniel.”
He made these comments only a day after McLaren announced the signing of reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou, which may or may not be a coincidence – the British outfit also brought in Colton Herta this week to test last year’s race car in Portugal.
As far as this year is concerned, we’re not sure Ricciardo can do much to salvage his position in the standings, at least not when compared to Lando Norris. The latter is currently seventh with 64 points, while Ricciardo is twelfth with just 17 points.
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) July 13, 2022
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