Ricciardo reveals Piastri sympathy despite 'F1 career going t**s up'

Ewan Gale
Saturday 3 December 2022 17:00

Daniel Ricciardo has sympathised with compatriot Oscar Piastri for the way in which his F1 promotion was handled by McLaren and Alpine.

Last year's F2 champion Piastri had been on Alpine's books as reserve driver, completing test days in preparation for a likely step into F1 either in 2023 with Williams as part of a loan deal, or with the French manufacturer for 2024.

Whilst those talks were stalling, however, Piastri signed a contract to replace Ricciardo at McLaren next season.

But the Australian was announced as Alpine's replacement for Fernando Alonso during the summer break after the Spaniard's shock move, only for Piastri to deny a contract was in place.

McLaren then announced it had signed a deal with Piastri, with the matter being referred to the Contract Recognition Board, whose decision landed on the Woking-based team's side of the story.

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Speaking to the Australian Grand Prix's 'In the Fast Lane' podcast, Ricciardo said: “I felt for him.

“Don’t get me wrong, of course, my career was kind of in a way going tits up so I was certainly very occupied with myself and trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do.

“But at the same time, I was aware of some of the comments and stuff that was going towards him… I felt for him for a few reasons.

“This should be the biggest moment of your life, getting into Formula 1. It’s a dream come true and if it can’t really be enjoyed or celebrated then it’s a bit of a shame.

“It was just kind of how the chips fell. He was in the situation, but it’s not like he created the situation.

"It was just a product of all these things happening.”