Otmar Szafnauer revealed that the Alpine were in talks with Daniel Ricciardo before signing Pierre Gasly for the 2023 season.
Daniel Ricciardo’s contract termination from McLaren did not come as a surprise to many. The Aussie will not be racing with McLaren in the 2023 F1 season.
8 GP-winning driver struggled to adapt to McLaren’s cars and underperformed in his two seasons with the Woking-based team. And now Ricciardo is stuck without a team.
But there was an opening for Daniel in his former team Alpine. Ahead of the 2022 Japanese GP, Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer revealed that the team did contact Ricciardo.
This came after an intense shortlisting process that conducted by the team following Oscar Piastri’s refusal to drive for Alpine. Otmar said in the pre-race press interview, “At the beginning, we discussed with a few drivers, including Daniel.”
But ahead of the race, Alpine revealed Pierre Gasly to be their 2023 driver. Otmar revealed that Pierre was the right choice for the team as he had the right mix of “youth, experience and speed.”
Otmar added, “Pierre meets the criteria that I said to a tee. He’s experienced fast and young. So, when it became evident that Pierre was a possibility we made our shortlist even shorter.”
This means there will be an all-French lineup in F1 for the first time since 1994. And Ricciardo’s hopes of racing in F1 look bleak.
Also Read: Daniel Ricciardo will return to Formula One with a new approach according to his agent Nick Thimm
Daniel Ricciardo won’t be racing in F1 in 2023
After Pierre Gasly’s announcement, Daniel Ricciardo’s fate was sealed. Now it looks more likely that the Aussie will not be racing in the sport for the upcoming season.
Ricciardo stated, “We were trying to navigate our way around that and figure out what was next. But I think the reality now is I won’t be on the grid in 2023.”
He confirmed that there are still some options. But with Alpine’s seats taken, Haas and Williams are left as the only other options. And neither of the teams entices the Aussie.
He added, “I think there could be some better opportunities then. So that’s really what all this confirms and now where the sights are set.”
He could take up a reserve driver’s role. But his high salary demands and the inability to field him in tests by teams limit all possible options for Ricciardo to stay in F1.
Also Read: Daniel Ricciardo confirms taking leave from F1 after Alpine signs Pierre Gasly
What does the future hold for Daniel Ricciardo?
Daniel Ricciardo has a myriad of options ahead to carry on his racing career. But none of the options is working in his favour. The Aussie has stated that he wishes to continue racing in F1.
But if he wishes to take a brief hiatus from the sport, he has many options lined up across the pond. One is IndyCar. Former F1 driver Romain Grosjean even invited the Aussie to try out the sport.
But Ricciardo already refused an offer by McLaren to race for their IndyCar team. Another possibility could be NASCAR, which Ricciardo is a fan of.
Trackhouse Racing boss Justin Marks said he would be eager to rope in the Aussie as a part of ‘Project 91’. This is the same way former F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen raced with the team at Watkins Glen. But Ricciardo has declined the offer as of now.
