Why he posted his Twitter statement

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Daniel Ricciardo claims he will continue to drive for McLaren Formula 1 in 2023

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On Wednesday after the Austrian Grand Prix, Ricciardo posted a well-received statement on his social media channels to make it clear in the face of growing rumors about himself: “I’m committed to McLaren until the end of next year and won’t leave the sport .”

As a result, many asked themselves: If the contractual situation is as clear as everyone says, why was this statement necessary at all? But Seidl was less surprised than other observers: “It just confirmed that we are together. We haven’t said anything else for months. So it wasn’t a surprise to me.”

The focus is now on “finding those last few percent that Daniel just sometimes lacks on Lando,” explains Seidl. Because Ricciardo also makes no secret of the fact that he is not satisfied with the current results: “Of course there is frustration. I’ve admitted that more than once.”

Ricciardo admits: Sometimes it’s a love-hate relationship

His love for Formula 1 – sometimes, he admits, also a love-hate relationship – is unbroken: “Despite all the depths, I know that I still love it all. The frustration lasts maybe half an hour, but then I think again : ‘I love it!’ And I believe that I can still do it. Only when this belief is gone will I resign. But I’m a long way from that.”

The 33-year-old admits that he would “prefer to always be at the front”, but is a realist: “A career like Lewis, with more than 100 victories, that’s unique. Not everyone can write a story like that. “

2014: Vettel eclipsed at Red Bull

Ricciardo looked set to win a world title or more when he joined Red Bull in 2014. In his first year with the team, he won three Grands Prix and beat Sebastian Vettel, who had previously won four world titles in a row.

“I understand why people forget that,” he says. “You’re only as good as your last race. I get that. It’s true. But no one knows me better than I know myself. I know what’s still inside of me. Give me a chance to win a race and I will win it. I’ve never let a win slip through my fingers. The challenge now is to get back there.”

And with McLaren, as he clarifies in the postscript. Contrary to all rumours. That Vettel of all people could replace him is wishful thinking for some German Formula 1 fans. Oscar Piastri could be loaned out from Alpine, but playing an apprenticeship for a rival team probably doesn’t fit into Seidl’s long-term plans.

McLaren’s IndyCar drivers: Too high a risk?

Then there’s the option of getting one of the IndyCar drivers instead of Ricciardo. Alex Palou is currently third in the Championship, with Pato O’Ward sixth and Colton Herta eighth. But the truth is that the IndyCar series is led by a certain Marcus Ericsson, who never made it into Formula 1. Such an exchange would be a sporting risk.

There is a completely different reason why all the McLaren squad drivers are allowed to test at least one year-old car. Seidl explains: “The regulations mean that we have to field a young driver twice on a Friday this year.”

“So at the moment we’re using last year’s car to give different talents the opportunity to show what they can do and have some fun in a Formula 1 car. Then we’ll probably decide in early September who they are two sessions,” he explains in the Interview with ‘Sky’. (AD: All races live without commercial breaks – exclusively on Sky.)

Why McLaren is unlikely to swap drivers

Ultimately, it is a consideration of the perspectives that – in addition to the statements made by Ricciardo and Seidl – suggests that McLaren will also start with Norris/Ricciardo in 2023. Especially since Ricciardo is still optimistic that he can make the breakthrough: “Since Monaco I have the feeling that we are getting closer,” he says.

“That doesn’t always translate into results on the track. But my feeling for the car, the way I pass information on to the team, I have the feeling that we’re getting closer to the truth. ‘Click made’ would be maybe that’s saying too much. But we’re getting a better sense of what we need to do to get it right.”

Why Ricciardo posted on Twitter

The social statement was not a sign of uncertainty about his future – on the contrary, it was a signal to the McLaren employees that you can continue to rely on him and plan with him in the future: “We have hundreds of employees, who never come to the circuit and can’t see me throwing myself into it.”

“I wanted to dispel any doubts that I might switch to another team. They also read the headlines. I wanted to put an end to the speculation and tell the people who are developing the car for me : ‘Guys, I am and I will stay with you!'”

“The noise just got so loud and the questions in the paddock got so frequent – and people sometimes even answered themselves – that I wanted to say, ‘Look, I know what my future is , so I’ll let you guys know now.’ A lot of people thought that was it for me. But that wasn’t it!”

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