Ricciardo 'dealt bad hand' by F1 according his agent
Oct.9 - Daniel Ricciardo has been "dealt a bad hand" by Formula 1, according to the Australian driver's agent.
Having been bought out of his contract for 2023 as McLaren replaces him with young compatriot Oscar Piastri, Ricciardo had to admit at Suzuka that he will not be on the grid next year.
The last seat he was willing to accept was at Alpine, but the Renault-owned team instead successfully negotiated Pierre Gasly out of his Red Bull deal.
Pierre Gasly
"I knew they were talking for a while and I knew they were very interested in Pierre," Ricciardo, 33, said.
Indeed, Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer said in Japan that he had talks with Ricciardo.
"At the beginning we discussed with a few drivers, including Daniel, and Pierre meets the criteria that I had to a tee - he's experienced, fast and young."
For Ricciardo, it marks the end to his racing career for now.
"I think the reality is now I won't be on the grid in 2023," he said. "I think it's now just trying to set up for '24. It's kind of like hitting pause for a little bit."
He also ruled out switching to another series, like Indycar.
"As fun or cool as it sounds to compete in something else, the truth is that mentally, I'm not there yet," said Ricciardo.
Ricciardo is now expected to sign up as Mercedes' reserve driver, with some insiders speculating he wants to be best placed if Lewis Hamilton calls it a day.
Some have questioned the wisdom of Ricciardo's decision-making since leaving Red Bull, as his career entered a downward spiral at Renault and then McLaren.
His agent, Nick Thimm, denied that "ego" might explain the predicament.
"None of this is about ego, unachievable demands, or a sudden lack of opportunity," he said.
"This is about a man who was dealt a bad hand, now finding the right next opportunity. Uncovering a new project where he can work with a team that embraces his unique set of skills.
"It's a different approach yes, but it's also a new day for the sport. He's not done. And as we saw this season, anything can happen."
✅ Check out more posts with related topics:
RIC wasn't dealt a bad hand. He wasn't performing so he's out. He was being paid a lot of money and not producing , it was entireley his own fault.
Piastri is the new Aussie hope , the way of the future.
some drivers can accept being a no. 2 driver and some can't
he didn't mesh with mclaren for whatever reason
Piastri IS the new Aussie hope but to date has achieved absolutely nothing in F1
hope danny ric comes back refreshed in 2024 and can end his career on better terms
Oh Dear, its Tim nice but Dim
Just when you are all happy we have another day tomorrow when the fia publish their price cap results,, has red bull shot themselves in the foot or will it be good news for CH. & RB, Won't be long now.
Since departing from Red Bull, Daniel has lost his incentive to perform. I believe he became intimidated by the early days with Max as his team mate and as a result lost his momentum. Maybe a year out will assist him to rediscover his motivation and re-invent himself to be competitive again.
All eyes on Oscar to push Lando and achieve results for the team!
Either D R has Los his momentum, Or, our new package of drivers have raised the bar to where he can't quite reach.
what ever Danny Ricciardo does next in is life he will be good at it. I wish you well.
F1 is a lot of luck, " being in the right place @ the right time " Half of the current drivers in F1 could win a world championship if they were driving the right car , Young George Russel proved that last year, almost won, and Sir Lewy couldn't get back in the car quick enough....could not let G R have another race in his car Daniel Ric will prove that if given the chance in 2023. In the mean time he will enjoy lapping up the Sunshine in Western Australia where we BOTH LIVE.
This must be the DR fan club page lol, I think wed all like it to be true the Mojo, but there again , wed all like to win the lottery, Test driver at Merc,who out of the top drivers would take that as there next job, answers on a very small postcard please....
Alonso was out for two years and look at him now. Kicking ass and taking names. Danny Boy will be back in Spades in good time. I like his style, he has enormous talent - but like all automotive competitors, "you are what you drive". In the end, Williams still sucks. Jesus Christ wouldn't get the podium in one of their rigs. So, give Danny Boy a break. He's got what it takes, but like everyone else, he needs a winning ride under his arse.