WA Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo has reportedly been told he won’t be driving for McLaren next season, with countryman Oscar Piastri set to replace him.
Ricciardo’s initial three-year deal with McLaren does not end until the end of next season, but it is being reported he’s been told he will not be in the seat next year.
He would have to receive a significant payout, with Piastri set to take his place after initially signing on as a reserve driver for next season.
It ends months of speculation surrounding Ricciardo, who sits 12th in the drivers’ championship and has had underwhelming results since crossing from Renault at the end of the 2020 season.
The 33-year-old is 57 points behind teammate Lando Norris and has just one win for McLaren since crossing from Renault, now Alpine.
Piastri has already been in the headlines this week after emphatically denying he had signed with Alpine, with a seat vacated by Fernando Alonso.
He was publicly promoted by Alpine to a main seat, but hit back at the claims on social media not long later.
It only fueled speculation that Piastri’s manager, former Australian Formula One star Mark Webber, was hunting Ricciardo’s seat at McLaren for his young driver.
McLaren boss Zak Brown has repeatedly said Ricciardo would see out his contract.
“We love working with him. He loves the team. We’ve seen when we give him a car that he’s capable of winning, he can win in it, ”Brown said last month.
“We’ve just got to figure out how to unlock it, give him a car that he’s more comfortable with. We’ve got a great relationship.”
Ricciardo was emphatic that he would see out his contract at McLaren when questioned on his future after the shock retirement of Sebastian Vettel.
“I am committed to McLaren until the end of next year and am not walking away from the sport,” Ricciardo wrote on Twitter.
“I’m working my a.. 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.”
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