“I don’t know who Alpine should choose,” Ralf Schumacher strongly believes Daniel Ricciardo wouldn’t have a seat next season

Sebastian Vettel’s sudden announcement about his departure from the sport has brought in many new opportunities for drivers, but at the same time, it has not gone so kindly for Daniel Ricciardo, as it is being speculated. Vettel’s departure opened the window for Fernando Alonso to enter Aston Martin, which left a place empty at Alpine. They, in turn, announced Oscar Piastri as their driver for the 2023 season, but later Piastri announced that there was no legal contract signing and he would not be driving for the team. Soon enough, speculations about him going into McLaren and replacing Ricciardio started.

If there is any chance that  Piastri would have a seat in McLaren, then the only place vacant for Ricciardo would be at Alpine. But Ralf Schumacher, former F1 driver, sees another possibility. According to him, there are very few chances that Ricciardo would actually get a seat in the sport next year, analyzing his recent performance with McLaren. He also said that Mick Schumacher hasn’t signed a contract yet with Haas for next year, so he would be a candidate, and at the same time, Nico Hulkenberg could be a potential replacement for Alonso in the team. 

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Daniel Ricciardo hard to get any seat next year, says Schumacher

Ralf thinks that since Ricciardo has performed poorly, Mick and Hulkenberg are the main two contenders for the seat at Alpine, and Ricciardo could as well be out of the sport after this year. “But I wouldn’t know who Alpine should choose at the moment,” GPblog quoted Ralf Schumacher. 

Before we know who will succeed Alonso at the French stable, it can take some time. Otmar Szafnauer, the team owner, has stated he is ready to take legal action if Alpine does not agree to release Piastri. Before the driver may possibly switch to another team, things also need to be finalized because Ricciardo still has a contract with McLaren.

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