McLaren open to swift Ricciardo return

Sam Hall
Thursday 10 November 2022 14:55

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has left the door open for the swift return of Daniel Ricciardo with the Australian yet to confirm his plans for 2023.

Ricciardo will not feature on the F1 grid next season after mutually agreeing to terminate his McLaren contract a year early due to continuing underwhelming results.

Not willing to give up on his future in the sport altogether, the Australian has been linked with reserve driver roles at Mercedes and Red Bull.

But Ricciardo is keen for any opportunity to provide a pathway back to a race seat, something that does not appear possible at Mercedes given Lewis Hamilton's recent confirmation that he will seek to sign a contract extension with the Silver Arrows.

With the 33-year-old potentially having to look further down the order for opportunities, Seidl was asked if McLaren could look to immediately re-sign Ricciardo in a reduced role.

“That’s a discussion we didn’t have yet," said Seidl.

"It’s a discussion we would usually have in the winter. As you know as well, we have an agreement in place with other teams as well in order to share reserve drivers.

“Again, there is absolutely no hard or bad feelings between Daniel and us and therefore anything is possible.

“It is clear that with Daniel leaving the team, we are losing not just a great driver but also a great personality and he will be deeply missed in the team.

"That is why we are both committed to making sure that in these last races we are doing together, that we are still trying to put in some good performances in order to finish our journey together on a high.

“I don’t want to go into any speculation of what he is doing next but in the end, whatever he is doing next, wherever he is a driver next, that’s exactly what his next team or employer will get – a great driver and a great personality.”