Daniel Ricciardo back to Alpine? Another twist in F1’s silly season?
F1’s driver market unexpectedly burst into life on Monday with the shock news that Alonso is to leave Alpine and join Aston Martin fromᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ 2023 on a multi-year contract.
The 41-year-old Spaniard, who won back-to-back F1 titles in 2005 and 2006, will replace Sebastian Vettel after the four-time world champion announced he is retiring from the sport at the end of t𒀰he season.
Alonso’s departure has left a gaping hole at Alpine - they announced that their test and reserve driver, Oscar Piastri, would fill the vacancy for 2023. Buܫt stunningly Piastri shot back "that is wrong" and "I will not be d💎riving for Alpine".
A, who previously drove for the Enstone outfit prior to their 2021 ❀rebranding in 2019 and꧅ 2020.
According to the report, the driver domino effect originally kicked off by Vettel’s retirement could s📖ee Piastri being snapped up by McLaren.
The 21-year-old Australian is considered one of the brightest talents in motorsport and has many admirers 🐭in the F1 paddock.
Prior🌌 to Al♛onso’s shock switch, Alpine had been looking to find Piastri a seat on the F1 grid for 2023, possibly as part of a short-term loan deal to a rival team.
At one stꦉage it looked as though Williams would be Piastri’s landing spot, but McLaren has emerged as a potential alternative.
Ricciardo is contracted to McLaren until the end of 🔯2023 but has found himself under mounting pressure after struggling to match the impressive pace of teammate Lando Norris.
The Australia𝐆n’s future has been the subject ꦛof intense speculation ever since McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown admitted that Ricciardo had not met expectations amid his ongoing struggles.
Brown al💝so revealed “mechanisms” within Ricciardo’s contract that could end it early but it is believed the ꦯoption is on the driver side, rather than the team.
Before the 2022 season had started, an agreement bꦕetween Alpine and McLaren was struck that would enable the latter to call upon the services of Piastri if they required a stand-in for their drivers.
McLaren were also understood to be considering Piastri as an option in case Ricciardo left the team at the end of the year, but Ricciardo recently reiterated his commitment to seeing out tꦿhe rest of his contract with McLaren.
"I'm committed to McLaren until the end of next year and🅺 am not walking away from the sport," he wrote on sꦬocial media last month.
"Appreciate it hasn🌠't alwaysꦬ been easy, but who wants easy?!”
That🧸 was before the news involving Vettel and Alonso kicked the 2023 driver market and rumour mill into overdrive.
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for wuqian0821.com around👍 the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the♏ sport.
