What next for Ricciardo?

Daniel Ricciardo is yet to exhibit the true form which many know him for. Continuing to languish behind his teammate, questions have intensified around his position in the McLaren team and in F1. If his efforts come to naught, what would his future hold?

History

Daniel Ricciardo’s performances are yet to display a notable and sustained change. Consistently lagging behind teammate Lando Norris, his few glimpses of talent have come few and far between. Even though he scored points in his last race at the Austrian Grand Prix, it’s done little to wash away the fact that he finished as 13th out of 14 runners at the British Grand Prix, one race before. Most expected a breakthrough during his second season, similar to his time at Renault (now Alpine), however, the fortunes are yet to change.

Current situation

Indycar’s reigning champion Alex Palou has been recently signed to the McLaren racing family. It’s unclear as to whether this could continue to be Indycar, open the door to the soon-to-be McLaren Formula E team or even a position in the F1 team. With Indycar winner Colton Herta also performing test runs with an older McLaren around the Portimao circuit, this has heated up speculation over Ricciardo’s seat to a boiling point. The man himself then later issued a statement on his Instagram story.

Future

As far as things go, Ricciardo looks set to stay with the Woking squad. He has put out the statement emphatically and looks, with his whole heart, intent on rectifying the situation. At the very least, it looks like he will stay until the end of his contract in 2023. If Ricciardo were to leave McLaren, one would expect that an F1 team would still be willing to take him on due to his vast experience. In that scenario, one of the many Indycar candidates would likely be courted for the seat at the McLaren team to partner with Norris in the new generation of F1.

Time is running out, however. While this announcement will briefly quell the questions, it will not cease them unless his performances change.