Daniel Ricciardo reacts to ‘bittersweet’ McLaren exit and vows to ‘give it my all’ until end of year

The Australian will leave the team at the end of the 2022 Formula 1 season, a year earlier than planned

Daniel Ricciardo has said his premature McLaren exit will be a ‘bittersweet one’, after it was announced that he will leave the team at the end of the season.

Ricciardo joined McLaren ahead of the 2021 Formula 1 campaign, on a deal that was set to run until the end of 2023. However, disappointing performances since his arrival had put his position at the team in doubt, and McLaren revealed on Wednesday that the Australian’s contract has now been cut short.

Ricciardo, who will drive for McLaren until the end of the current F1 season, issued his own statement on Wednesday.

“Hey, everyone, I wanted to share some news,” the 33-year-old said in a Twitter video. “It’s not great, it’s bittersweet for sure, but I think it’s best you hear it from me: 2022 will be my last year with McLaren.

“Obviously we’ve put in a lot of effort on both sides, but it just hasn’t worked the way we wanted, so the team’s decided to make a change for next year. We had a lot of discussions, but in the end we mutually agreed that it was the right thing for both of us.

“I will continue to do the rest of this year, absolutely, and I’ll continue to give it my all. So, that’s that.

“[As] for the future, what lies ahead... I’m not sure yet, but we’ll see. I look back on this time with McLaren with a smile. I learned a lot about myself, I think things that will help me for the next step in my career, but I think just in general in life, [too].

“From a results point of view for sure, to consistently get the results and that form that I was after, it wasn’t always there. It made some weekends tough. I felt those, absolutely, but I also have many happy memories of my time at the team.

“I think about Monza, I think about standing on the top step, I think about bringing the team their first win since 2012. That sort of stuff was awesome, to see the smile on everyone’s faces and just be in that moment – that’s something I’ll never forget. So, there’s a lot of good stuff to take from this as well.”

Some fans had feared that a McLaren exit might also signal the end of Ricciardo’s F1 career, but the former Red Bull driver poured cold water on such suggestions.

“The sport, I still love it; this hasn’t affected any of that,” he insisted. “I still have that fire in me, that belief in my belly that I can do this at the highest level. All that stuff’s still there.

Ricciardo and McLaren teammate Lando Norris achieved a one-two at Monza in 2021 (Getty Images)

“But yeah, I just wanted to say I appreciate everyone’s support through the highs, lows, everything in between. This isn’t it for me, but we’ll see what lies ahead.”

Ricciardo has been outperformed by teammate Lando Norris at McLaren and sits 12th in the championship standings with nine races to go this season.

The Australian is expected to be replaced by 2021 Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri.

Ricciardo’s victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix in Monza marked his eighth race win in F1, with his previous seven having all come under the Red Bull banner. Between his spells at Red Bull and McLaren, Ricciardo drove for Renault for two seasons.