“He has always turned up with a fighting spirit,” Andreas Seidl highlights Daniel Ricciardo’s grit and determination despite his struggles with McLaren
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Andreas Seidl with Daniel Ricciardo
After a long and winding saga, Daniel Ricciardo will leave McLaren at the end of 2023. He will presumably be replaced by Oscar Piastri, who had been in rather ‘public’ discussions with McLaren. Where will Daniel Ricciardo go? No one can confirm for sure, but the most likely destination seems to be Alpine.
He had driven for the team for 2 years back when they were known as Renault until McLaren had come calling to him to replace Carlos Sainz. One and a half seasons later, it is fair to say that move did not materialize as either party had hoped. Ricciardo struggled to adapt to the car and match the performances of his teammate, Lando Norris.
In McLaren’s blog post announcing his departure, Ricciardo said: “I’ll be announcing my own future plans in due course but regardless of what this next chapter brings, I have no regrets and am proud of the effort and work I gave McLaren, especially the win in Monza, last season.” and adding that he has never been so motivated. His team principal, Andreas Seidl also had a few choice words to say.
Also Read: Daniel Ricciardo set to leave McLaren at the end of the 2022 season
Andreas Seidl: “We will never forget that memorable race win in Monza”
Daniel Ricciardo’s two seasons at McLaren have not been particularly amazing. Lando Norris has outperformed the Australian on almost every front, but nonetheless, there has been a very notable highlight: Ricciardo leading a McLaren 1-2 in Monza last year, which was the team’s first win since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Andreas Seidl certainly remembers that win, as it was the highlight of the decade for them, but so will CEO Zak Brown: He has a permanent tattoo commemorating that win on his arm, but the driver that got that win for them will be leaving. Seidl began his statement on Ricciardo’s departure by saying:
“I would like to thank Daniel for his dedication and contribution over the last two seasons so far. Despite the shared challenges, he has always turned up with a fighting spirit and positivity and helped the entire team to always keep pushing forward.”
He further added: “We will never forget that memorable race win in Monza which was a great boost for the whole team. We still have an important battle in the Constructors’ Championship ahead of us for the remainder of the season and we look forward to battle this out with Daniel and Lando.”
His performances in the second part of the season will be especially important for Ricciardo. If Alpine do not choose to get him immediately, it can actually end up meaning that he has to take up a rather unappealing option, or that he may just have to leave the sport.
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Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)