Daniel Ricciardo believes he is worthy of remaining in F1 despite seeing an expensive layoff by McLaren as they want Oscar Piastri.
The 2022 drivers’ trade has directly affected Daniel Ricciardo. The 33-year-old race driver is overnight out of the favours of McLaren. The Woking-based team is reportedly ready to lay him off to get his compatriot Oscar Piastri in their setup.
Ricciardo has made sure it isn’t easy for McLaren to let him go by demanding $21 million in return for him leaving the team. Apparently, McLaren has also agreed to this demand.
Now, the question is what lies in Ricciardo’s future. The sensible move could be him rejoining Alpine, though no official talk has happened as the French team looks for their second driver.
Nevertheless, Ricciardo believes that he is still worthy of an F1 seat. He asserts he can still thrive in the sport if he gets the chance to extend his stay.
‘There’s certainly a few things,’ he told Speedcafe. ‘I believe I still thrive off it because I still believe I belong [in Formula 1] and can do it. That’s what really gets me jacked. And the love of it, as well as knowing any weekend it could be there, it could be around the corner.’
‘Monza last year…a week before at Zandvoort nobody was predicting that, not even myself, so even just the thought of a weekend like that could be one week away, it’s pretty cool.’
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Where can Daniel Ricciardo go?
The current drivers’ lineup across the grid can’t be more stable than before. Apart from the one spot at Alpine, there is no other possible open opportunity, as most of the drivers have multiple years on their contract, especially in the top teams.
If Vettel hadn’t decided to retire, Ricciardo might have even remained without a possible vacancy at Alpine too. So, his only option remains in the French team.
His last stint with them, when it was Renault back then, speaks volumes about he could be a success with them. Other than that, Williams is reportedly trying to end their alliance with Nicholas Latifi, but Ricciardo surely wouldn’t like to take such a downstep in his career.
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