mid-year break – Michmutters
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Daniel Ricciardo posts on Instagram

Wherever he ends up next year, Daniel Ricciardo is going to keep on smiling.

The most famous pearly whites in Formula One reappeared on Monday as the Australian driver posted on Instagram for the first time since it was reported he was being replaced at McLaren by Oscar Piastri in 2023.

Enjoying his mid-season break in what appeared to be his sunny California base, Ricciardo kept it short and sweet.

“Hello,” he said, adding a sun emoji as he stood in a swimming pool.

Daniel Ricciardo popped up to say hello.  Picture: Instagram
Daniel Ricciardo popped up to say hello. Picture: InstagramSource: Instagram

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Ricciardo has been hailed for his dignity and classy response to constant speculation about his future in the sport during a rocky 2022 season.

The Aussie F1 veteran became the story of the F1 mid-year break when it was reported he was being moved on for his 21-year-old countryman Piastri.

The news erupted last week after Fernando Alonso blindsided the F1 world when he jumped into Sebastian Vettel’s vacated seat at Aston Martin for 2023.

Alpine then announced Piastri would be the man to replace Alonso, only for the Melburnian to reject the seat, a bold move for a man who’s never driven an F1 car in anger.

But the news leaked over the weekend that it was Ricciardo’s seat Piastri was set to take, while McLaren were set to cut the eight-time race winner loose for the prodigious youngster — a move which would reportedly cost McLaren $21m in a payout for Ricciardo .

It leaves Ricciardo’s career at a crossroads after two largely miserable seasons in papaya, outside of the 2021 win at Monza.

Ricciardo had been regularly beaten by teammate Lando Norris and struggled to get his head around the car.

The 32-year-old left Renault for McLaren, but could return to the Enstone unit now branded Alpine, who are open to the move.

Alpine still believes it has an iron-clad deal with Piastri and are still planning for the young Aussie to take the seat, despite reports the FIA’s Contract Recognition Board had cleared Piastri’s move.

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Daniel Ricciardo posts on Instagram for the first time since McLaren F1 sacking

Wherever he ends up next year, Daniel Ricciardo is going to keep on smiling.

The most famous pearly whites in Formula One reappeared on Monday as the Australian driver posted on Instagram for the first time since it was reported he was being replaced at McLaren by Oscar Piastri in 2023.

Enjoying his mid-season break in what appeared to be his sunny California base, Ricciardo kept it short and sweet.

“Hello,” he said, adding a sun emoji as he stood in a swimming pool.

Ricciardo has been hailed for his dignity and classy response to constant speculation about his future in the sport during a rocky 2022 season.

The Aussie F1 veteran became the story of the F1 mid-year break when it was reported he was being moved on for his 21-year-old countryman Piastri.

The news erupted last week after Fernando Alonso blindsided the F1 world when he jumped into Sebastian Vettel’s vacated seat at Aston Martin for 2023.

Alpine then announced Piastri would be the man to replace Alonso, only for the Melburnian to reject the seat, a bold move for a man who’s never driven an F1 car in anger.

But the news leaked over the weekend that it was Ricciardo’s seat Piastri was set to take, while McLaren were set to cut the eight-time race winner loose for the prodigious youngster — a move which would reportedly cost McLaren $21m in a payout for Ricciardo .

It leaves Ricciardo’s career at a crossroads after two largely miserable seasons in papaya, outside of the 2021 win at Monza.

Ricciardo had been regularly beaten by teammate Lando Norris and struggled to get his head around the car.

The 32-year-old left Renault for McLaren, but could return to the Enstone unit now branded Alpine, who are open to the move.

Alpine still believes it has an iron-clad deal with Piastri and are still planning for the young Aussie to take the seat, despite reports the FIA’s Contract Recognition Board had cleared Piastri’s move.

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Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer’s claim shows Daniel Ricciardo has options, Mercedes link, Oscar Piastri fiasco, McLaren

Don’t worry about Daniel Ricciardo, he’s going to be fine.

The Aussie F1 veteran became the story of the F1 mid-year break when it was reported he was being moved on for his 21-year-old countryman Oscar Piastri.

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The news erupted last week after Fernando Alonso blindsided the F1 world when he jumped into Sebastian Vettel’s vacated seat at Aston Martin for 2023.

Alpine then announced Piastri would be the man to replace Alonso, only for the Melburnian to reject the seat, a bold move for a man who’s never driven an F1 car in anger.

But the news leaked over the weekend that it was Ricciardo’s seat Piastri was set to take, while McLaren were set to cut the eight-time race winner loose for the prodigious youngster — a move which would reportedly cost McLaren $21m in a payout for Ricciardo .

It leaves Ricciardo’s career at a crossroads after two largely miserable seasons in papaya, outside of the 2021 win at Monza.

Ricciardo had been regularly beaten by teammate Lando Norris and struggled to get his head around the car.

The 32-year-old left Renault for McLaren, but could return to the Enstone unit now branded Alpine, who are open to the move.

Alpine still believes it has an iron-clad deal with Piastri and are still planning for the young Aussie to take the seat, despite reports the FIA’s Contract Recognition Board had cleared Piastri’s move.

Although Alfa Romeo rookie and former Renault Academy driver Guanyu Zhou said he was glad he wasn’t “stuck” at Alpine, team boss Otmar Szafnauer believes his team is well placed to attack the top teams.

Speaking regarding Alonso’s decision, Szafnauer, the former Aston Martin boss, said: “I know both teams well,” he said. “I think I know (them), because I spent 12 years at the other team, better than I know all the individuals here just yet.

“And I know since I’ve left in December, they’ve hired some more people, some of which I was a part of recruiting, including Dan Fallows, and Eric Blandin from Mercedes. So I know what they’re trying to do.

“And I know that the people that are there, and I know this team here, and both teams have great potential.

“But as we sit here today, this team is performing at a much higher level. It’s hard to predict the future, but in the near future, for sure this team will continue to perform at that level, if not better.”

Alpine is currently fourth in the constructors’ standings on 99 points, behind only Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes, and four points in front of McLaren. Aston Martin is ninth on 20 points.

Szafnauer also said Alpine weren’t done coming fourth.

“We have an internal program called Mountain Climber, and that’s to hire an additional 75 people in strategic areas that will help improve the capabilities of this team,” he said.

“And along with the 75 people, there’s also tools that we are improving now, some simulation tools, a new simulator, expanded capacity in manufacturing, some upgrades to our wind tunnel, all with the focus on being able to win in 100 races.

“So those things are still happening here. And they’re happening fast. We’re already at a level of 850 people here.

“So I am confident that we can outdo the team that Fernando is going to, in the time period that he will be there.”

Ricciardo scored 119 points in Renault in 2020, the best by a driver since the manufacturer’s return to the sport in 2016.

There’s no doubt he would be a strong option for Alpine.

However, in an interview with The confidentialSzafnauer said he would narrow the shortlist to four drivers, revealing he had fielded “like 14 calls from drivers who are interested”.

ESPN’s Nate Saunders also said Ricciardo would “still command the attention of teams up and down the grid” adding he is “one of the most marketable drivers on the grid at the moment and one who is especially popular in America”.

He added four teams had contacted him in the past fortnight prior to the news McLaren were moving to ax the Western Australian.

The Expresseven suggested a pay out from McLaren to Ricciardo and a forced season on the sideline could open up Mercedes.

Ricciardo has long coveted a seat with Ferrari or Mercedes and said the Silver Arrows had “always had an eye” on Ricciardo.

The 37-year-old seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton has long been linked with retirement.

In 2019 when Ricciardo joined Renault, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said he had caught their eye but didn’t end up pulling the trigger.

“We always had an eye on Daniel… we really like him in here,” Wolff said at the time. “It’s just the mentality in Mercedes – I sometimes feel if you’re happy in your relationship it is not always easy (to change).

“It is like being married, you need to be 100 per cent behind it. It was not a lack of interest, it was just that we were in a happy relationship and there was no need to flirt with another woman at that stage.”

Is it likely? Not at this stage, but stranger things have happened.

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F1 2022: Lando Norris steering clear of Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren situation, Oscar Piastri, Alpine

Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren teammate is steering well clear of the ongoing chaos.

Lando Norris took to social media in the wake of the Formula 1’s silly season going into overdrive to let the world know, he isn’t available.

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On Friday it was reported Ricciardo’s seat at McLaren for the 2023 season would be taken by rising Australian prodigy Oscar Piastri.

The bombshell news means Ricciardo’s contract could be terminated one year early, which would potentially result in a monster payout for the West Australian.

F1 is on its mid-year break and the silly season went into overdrive this week when Piastri emphatically denied he would be filling the spare Alpine seat vacated by Fernando Alonso, who is joining Aston Martin.

But as the chaos unfolds at McLaren, Norris made it abundantly clear he wouldn’t be addressing any of the drama during the break.

Norris uploaded two images of him in a private jet, with this sneaky caption: “Thanks for your email. I will be away from the office until [next week] for [holiday] with no access to email. If your request is urgent, please contact [@mclaren]. Otherwise, I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible when I return on [@fai_aviation_group].”

The Formula 1 world wasn’t happy with Ricciardo’s reported sacking from McLaren, with many hoping the Aussie remains in the sport.

Ricciardo’s career has been on some what of a downward spiral since his days of outdriving Sebastian Vettel and regularly challenging Max Verstappen at Red Bull. But no one wants to see it end this way.

ESPN’s Nate Saunders reported four teams have sounded Ricciardo out recently to “see where his head is at” and slammed McLaren for its treatment of the Aussie.

“It reflects very poorly on Brown and McLaren how they have treated Ricciardo over the past six months,” Saunders wrote. “Ricciardo, the only McLaren driver to have won an F1 race since 2012, has been the first to admit his performances have not been up to the standards he set at Red Bull and Renault but it feels as though he has been made as a scapegoat to deflect away from deeper problems at the team.”

Despite the rapid turn of events this week Ricciardo’s future could take a long time to settle because McLaren will likely face a challenge from Alpine over its poaching of Piastri.

The West Australian could spend a year with McLaren’s IndyCar team to see out his deal, or could receive a pay out and join another team. That team could even be Alpine if Piastri is able to leave.

Who is Oscar Piastri?

Born in Melbourne, Piastri joined Alpine’s academy after clinching the Formula Renault Eurocup title in 2019, securing seven wins.

He carried the form into the Formula 3 series in 2020, winning the opening race on his debut and holding his nerve to claim the title by three points in one of the most closely fought championships ever.

The following year he was on the Formula 2 grid, where he clocked six wins to unequivocally announce his arrival on the world stage, becoming just the third rookie champion after Charles Leclerc (2017) and George Russell (2018). They are both now in F1.

Despite his rapid rise Piastri was overlooked for a drive in Formula One this season because of a lack of available seats, instead lurking on the sidelines at Alpine ready to replace either Esteban Ocon or Alonso if they were forced to miss a race.

He’s managed by fellow Aussie and nine-time F1 race winner Mark Webber. “Does he deserve to be in F1? Absolutely, we all know that,” Webber says. “It’s not a question of if, but when.”

The Piastri family say they are “petrol heads” with his father Chris telling The Sydney Morning Herald that “Oscar’s bedtime stories were mainly car books”.

He started racing remote-controlled cars aged six and by nine had graduated to piloting go-karts.

Read related topics:Daniel Ricciardo

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