Daniel Ricciardo's contract has been terminated early by McLaren, leaving him a free agent for 2023. Assessing the options on the grid - both realistic and unlikely - and elsewhere as the Australian targets another challenge
Thursday 25 August 2022 15:40, UK
"I still have that fire in me, that belief I can do it at the highest level. This isn't it for me."
Daniel Ricciardo couldn't have made it much clearer; he intends to stay in Formula 1 in 2023 after his bumper McLaren contract was terminated early - and believes he still has the talent to compete at the front.
But what are the Australian's options, and is there even space for him on the grid, let alone in a competitive car?
We assess where Ricciardo could go from the lowest point of his career.
Renault were deeply hurt when Ricciardo opted to leave in 2020 and join rivals McLaren - a bitter blow given the teams' similar pace and aspirations - and a reconciliation never really seemed on the table given the team's new guise Alpine had Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri in their ranks.
But with a wild sequence of events having seen Alpine lose Alonso, and possibly lose Piastri (whose move to McLaren would be even more contentious), Ricciardo re-joining the Renault family may suit all parties.
For Ricciardo, the Alpine seat is - and by some distance right now - the most competitive seat available in F1, with the French team currently locked in a very close battle for fourth in the constructors with McLaren.
In Alpine's case, they are determined to keep Piastri and believe they have a contract in place for their reserve driver to step up and replace Alonso. But should the Contract Recognition Board rule in Piastri's favour, Ricciardo offers the solace of a hungry known quantity, who on his day is still rapid.
After all, Ricciardo dominated Esteban Ocon, who has been a match for Alonso, in 2020, when he was one of the drivers of the season at Renault as he earned two podiums and re-found his form from his Red Bull days.
The spanner in the works may be that the divorce is just too fresh in the memory.
Does Ricciardo even want to return to a team which he clearly thought wasn't heading in the right direction less than two years ago? Would he rather start afresh with a new, albeit slower in the short term, team?
And would Alpine really welcome Ricciardo back with open arms? There's a new management structure in place and team boss Otmar Szafnauer has touted Ricciardo as an option, but there will also be other, younger, drivers available should the Piastri dispute not end up in their favour.
Haas seem to be well in the mix for Ricciardo, and the eight-time race winner would be a massive coup for the team who have been after a high-profile signing since their F1 debut six years ago.
ESPN even report that team boss Guenther Steiner contacted Ricciardo before the Hungarian GP.
That would seemingly cast doubt on Mick Schumacher's future - with Kevin Magnussen having impressed in his first year back in F1 this season - and Haas do not have to abide by Ferrari with their driver decision despite their close partnership and the fact Schumacher is a Ferrari junior.
That opens the door for Ricciardo from their side, but this deal still seems unlikely.
Haas are the smallest team on the grid and Ricciardo would essentially be waving goodbye to his hopes of ever winning again in F1 if he signed on long term, while the financials would also seem difficult given the US team's budget.
But could the similarly Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo be an option?
While there is no concrete evidence that Alfa are interested, they have the next most competitive seat available after Alpine and there could be long-term benefits - with Audi's F1 entry for 2026 thought to be via Sauber, who currently run the Alfa Romeo team.
Ricciardo, though, will be 36 by the time of that potential deal, and Alfa may not want another experienced driver given they currently have ex-Mercedes man Valtteri Bottas impressing.
Zhou Guanyu also hasn't had a disastrous rookie year by any means, so they may opt to stick with what they've got.
A move to Williams would be a big backwards step for Ricciardo, given they currently have a slower car than the aforementioned Haas.
What Williams do have on their side, though, is plenty of history - and seemingly a big budget.
Williams were taken over by Dorilton Capital in 2020 and the US owners could see Ricciardo's availability as the chance to make their first major splash, with Alex Albon their only signing in the last few years.
Ricciardo, after all, is one of F1's best known stars, particularly Stateside thanks to his popularity in Netflix series Drive to Survive.
There also looks certain to be a seat at Williams, with Nicholas Latifi set to depart. Piastri looked likely to join the Grove team in 2023 on loan from Alpine before this transfer saga began.
But would Ricciardo really want to drop towards the back of the grid? He would have seen the motivation dissipate from former Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel in a similar scenario at Aston Martin.
And are Williams even interested, or do they want a long-term younger option?
Aged just 33, Ricciardo should be in the prime of his career and has made it abundantly clear that he intends to continue.
"This sport, I still love it," he added in a social media video on Wednesday night.
While out-classed by Lando Norris, he also hasn't been an almighty failure at McLaren - often not far off the pace of the talented Briton while he won the Italian GP last year.
There is a scenario, though, where Ricciardo is forced to exit with the options not exactly plentiful for 2023. Other than the teams mentioned above, AlphaTauri have the only other vacancy, and them being Red Bull's junior team makes a Ricciardo move there the most unlikely of the bunch.
In that case, Ricciardo may be forced to look elsewhere. The Australian has a love for the US and there are plenty of series out there which would love to have him, such as IndyCar, while Formula E could also be an option.
McLaren have both an IndyCar and a Formula E team, coincidentally.
McLaren chief Zak Brown, though, says he wants Ricciardo to stay in F1 next season.
"He's an exceptional racing driver, and any team that he drives for, it's a privilege to have Daniel drive for you," said Brown.
"We do have a variety of racing activities, but that being said, he's very focused on F1.
"Of course the door will always be open at McLaren, but I believe he has a real desire to continue in F1."
