Daniel Ricciardo denied having knowledge about Oscar Piastri’s deal with McLaren when confirming his own future in July.
McLaren announced last week that Daniel Ricciardo would be departing the team following two underwhelming seasons in which he has comprehensively been defeated by Lando Norris with no signs of improving.
The whole fiasco began when Fernando Alonso chose to replace soon-to-retire Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin. The move left Alpine without a driver for the following season. Naturally, the French team wanted Piastri to fill the seat. However, it came with a hitch.
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren differ on contract timelines
McLaren was already linked to Oscar when Alpine decided to give the young driver a chance. This feud between the two teams led to Alpine approaching FIA’s CRB (Contract Recognition Board).
However, the CRB’s decision favoured McLaren, and the British team announced Oscar Piastri’s move ahead of the 2022 Dutch Grand Prix.
On Friday, the Contracts Recognition board confirmed that the 21-year-old would be free to race for McLaren in 2023, bringing closure to Alpine’s dispute. That verdict was announced in an official FIA document, revealing that a two-year deal had been signed on July 4.
However, on July 13, amid rumours, he might leave due to his poor performance. Ricciardo posted on social media that he would stay with the team through the end of 2023.
‘I am committed to McLaren until the end of next year and am not walking away from the sport,’ the 33-year-old stated.
While on July 24, McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl also confirmed Ricciardo’s future saying that “He is committed, we are committed from our side, so just need to keep working hard together.” But by this point, McLaren had already signed an agreement with Piastri.
Also Read: Alpine to pay $420,000 to McLaren and Oscar Piastri after losing CRB trial
Ricciardo being lied to by McLaren
On Friday, at the Dutch Grand Prix, the Perth-born driver was asked if he knew that McLaren had already signed his replacement while speaking of his own future in July.
“To be honest, on the date, that’s the first I’ve heard,” he told Sky Sports. “I’m not aware of obviously timelines and this and that, what the team’s discussing.”
“In terms of timelines – also, I guess what the team does preparing Oscar – that’s not also my business in terms of what day they spoke, this or that. If that’s the case, then so be it. It’s not really my decision to make.”
Meanwhile, Seidl was questioned regarding the timing of the team’s deal with Piastri during a media briefing on Friday evening. When asked whether McLaren had treated Ricciardo with transparency throughout, the McLaren boss responded, “Obviously we don’t go into the details of the contract that we signed with Oscar.”
“Regarding Daniel, as we communicated last week, I think throughout this year, Daniel, Zak, and myself had an open and transparent dialogue at any time of where we both are. “Therefore, there is no issue in that aspect.”
Also Read: Alpine spent $500,000 in legal bills to win Oscar Piastri’s services
