Daniel Ricciardo was at the center of limelight at the latter end of the recently concluded Formula 1 season. McLaren’s fiasco with Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri caught the attention of the entire racing world. Ricciardo’s contract was cut short, and he received wealthy compensation from McLaren due to the ugly and hasty exit.
Daniel Ricciardo Was Initially Owed $21M
Initially, Ricciardo was due $21M as compensation for McLaren terminating his contract twelve months early. But after Ricciardo made a return to Red Bull as their reserve third driver, the Aussie’s compensation was then reduced by $3M. Hence, instead of paying Ricciardo $21M, McLaren ended up paying $18M. McLaren additionally saved on a significant amount as Daniel Ricciardo was due a pay rise in 2024. Also Read: Zhou Guanyu highlights the ignorance of his critics
Ricciardo Re-uniting With The Bulls Was The Saving Grace For McLaren
Daniel Ricciardo was offered a seat by teams lower on the grid. Haas was one such team. But the 33-year-old did not want to race just for the sake of racing and end up driving a non-competitive car. He desired a competitive project that excited him and aims to return to the grid in 2024.
McLaren probably presumed that they would have to pay $21M to Ricciardo when his negotiations with Haas fell through. But once the ‘Honey Badger‘ grabbed the reserve seat for Red Bull, McLaren had room for negotiation and reduced the payout amount. In addition to the Red Bull reserve driver role, Ricciardo will carry out his duties as an ambassador of Red Bull too. After an expensive exit, Ricciardo is set to earn about $20M annually under the new Red Bull deal.
Riccirado had previously left Red Bull as he did not want to be the ‘second driver’ to the rising Max Verstappen. Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner termed it as the Aussie “running away from a fight.” He would join Renault but soon leave to go to McLaren. He is now re-united with the Bulls. Also Read: Charles Leclerc addresses Ferrari shortcomings
Daniel Ricciardo Replaced By Oscar Piastri
Ricciardo had previously denied rumours of a McLaren exit and re-assured his fans that he will be seeing his contract out. But as the season unfolded, it became prevalent that Ricciardo and McLaren were a misfit for each other.
Despite being the only McLaren driver to win a race in the last decade, Ricciardo was outperformed by teammate Lando Norris and put up subpar performances. Ricciardo’s contract was terminated when McLaren carried out the heist of the century and swayed Oscar Piastri away from Alpine and signed him. Also Read: Fernando Alonso desires a third World Championship and sets the bar high for Aston Martin
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