Daniel Ricciardo handed McLaren F1 world title vote of confidence

McLaren

Daniel Ricciardo handed McLaren F1 world title vote of confidence

Daniel Ricciardo was sacked by McLaren in 2022

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 16 March 2026 23:00

F1 journalist Peter Windsor has suggested that McLaren would have still won the world championship with Daniel Ricciardo in one of their seats.

Ricciardo joined McLaren ahead of the 2021 season, partnering Lando Norris in what looked on paper to be a fantastic driver pairing.

But the high point for that driver partnership came at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, when Ricciardo claimed his eighth career race win, with not too much else for McLaren to shout about in that period.

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Following poor performance in comparison to the much younger Norris in 2022, McLaren opted to sack Ricciardo before the end of his contract, and he was replaced by Oscar Piastri.

McLaren went on to become a championship-winning outfit in the succeeding years, while Ricciardo was welcomed back into the Red Bull family before ultimately being sacked as a driver with their sister team back in September 2024.

"With Lando, things would have worked out about the same, and there would have been less aggro in the team, because Daniel has a little bit more road dust on him, and knows how to handle these situations, but he still would have been very quick and done a good job."

What is Daniel Ricciardo up to now?

Following his axing from VCARB in 2024, Ricciardo opted to retire from F1, and he has not been seen on a racing grid since.

He has, however, taken on a role with Ford Racing as a global ambassador, although that role is not linked with Ford's new partnership with Ricciardo's former Red Bull team.

Through that role, however, Ricciardo has been able to reunite with his former team-mate Max Verstappen, at Ford's season launch at the beginning of the season.

On top of this, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has suggested that Ricciardo may also visit the F1 paddock this year as a guest of the Red Bull garage, with fans desperately hoping to see him at an F1 race weekend.

In the meantime, Ricciardo has been spotted at plenty of Ford Racing events, and driving a number of Ford cars.

F1 McLaren Daniel Ricciardo Peter Windsor