2022 will be a year to forget for Daniel Ricciardo. Life at McLaren, surrounded by rumors and uncertainty, did not turn out as he would’ve hoped. The criticism surrounding Ricciardo has turned into exit rumors and those rumors might come true.
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With no official announcements from the McLaren paddock, Ricciardo has been made aware of his future as the papaya team is replacing the experienced Australian with the rookie, Oscar Piastri.
A source close to Ricciardo disclosed the conversation between him and boss Andreas Seidl to ESPN. After the Hungarian GP, McLaren’s boss informed ‘Honey Badger’ of the team’s decision to replace him, despite him having a contract for 2023.
A valid contract is a reason behind no official announcement, as Ricciardo negotiates a settlement with the team. However, McLaren wants to make official announcements only after Ricciardo secures a seat for the 2023 F1 season.
Multiple sources have told ESPN that McLaren has signed a deal with Piastri for the next season. Although there can be a twist if Alpine appeals to the FIA Contract Recognition Board and stops the move to McLaren.
Read More: Daniel Ricciardo’s Writing on the Wall Manifests Freaky Reality at French GP
The last few weeks have been eventful, with a lot of announcements catching the F1 world off-guard. Sebastian Vettel knocked over the first domino with Fernando Alonso replacing him at Aston Martin.
However, the Alpine, Piastri, Ricciardo, and McLaren saga will keep fans talking as they all wait to see how the story develops.
Daniel Ricciardo fans point out the mistreatment of the Australian ahead of imminent exit news
The news of Ricciardo’s departure can come at any time, but the leaked information was enough to inspire outrage. The outrage is boiling over on Twitter as the Honey Badger stans showcase their disappointment.
every daniel ricciardo fan right now pic.twitter.com/cEyFbRYnH2
— a🐝 (@R0binHood_) August 2, 2022
imagine writing about how committed you are to your team and then them stabbing you in the back… Daniel Ricciardo deserves way better pic.twitter.com/TIpQNdYzRu
— mic #dankeseb! (@ricciardaniel) August 5, 2022
Life as a Daniel Ricciardo fan rn 😭 pic.twitter.com/YXOx4iIZxa
— GambitGirl (@GambitGirl01) August 5, 2022
Daniel Ricciardo I’m waiting for this pic.twitter.com/6TgYqpKzCQ
— greta; 🏎 (@justgretax) August 5, 2022
Ricciardo would be right to feel hard done by McLaren, especially after his public commitment to the team. Half of the outrage on Twitter is due to the same.
Daniel Ricciardo leaving Mclaren as their last race winner pic.twitter.com/GyQUa3TepO
— F1 MEMES (@f1tr0ll) August 5, 2022
A reminder that Daniel Ricciardo is the only driver to win in a McLaren in the last decade.
If the report below is true I hope Danny Ric SMOKES McLaren with whatever team he finds himself in next season. https://t.co/DKdEsbcSiK
— Matt Hickey (@mhickey23) August 5, 2022
some of y’all seem to forget but this is daniel ricciardo. pic.twitter.com/Hud7L2CfhS
— elo ³ (@onlyangeltpwk) August 2, 2022
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if oscar to mclaren is true someone owes daniel ricciardo one hell of an apology, firstly for making him feel like he had a seat whilst knowingly negotiating with piastri, secondly for letting this all play out publicly and lastly for the way he's been their scapegoat for 2 years
— charlie ¹ (@rbrleclerc) August 5, 2022
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This surely won’t be the end of Ricciardo’s career as the Australian is still full of vigor and possesses the quality to compete in F1.
Watch this story: Struggling ‘Honey Badger’ Daniel Ricciardo Once Dominated the Streets of Azerbaijan in Glorious 2017