ZANDVOORT, Netherlands – Daniel Ricciardo called fellow Australian Oscar Piastri, who will replace him at McLaren next season, to tell him there’s no hard feeling about how things have turned out this year. now.
After a lengthy legal battle between Alpine and McLaren, this week it was confirmed Piastri will join the team in 2023.
Last month, Ricciardo and McLaren reached an agreement to bring his three-year deal to an end a year earlier.
Ricciardo said he doesn’t want Piastri to feel guilty about the situation.
“I spoke to Oscar and just made sure there was no bad feeling there,” Ricciardo said after Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix.
“I understand how this works. He’s trying to get through it, he’s trying to get into Formula 1. The moment has to be really big for him.
“I didn’t want to make it a bad situation for him, and that’s it. It’s nothing personal. So that’s all the talk. I really wish him well. I want him to have a good run in Formula One.”
He added: “Obviously he’s a lot younger than me, so I don’t know how maybe he feels, if he’s nervous to reach out and see how I’m doing. Apart from Also, I wanted to make sure I understood his position clearly and there was absolutely no difficulty. So that’s fine.
“I think it makes him feel better and I think the last thing he wants is to have some weird tension between the only few Australians who’ve ever been in the sport, so I’m glad I did. We made it.”
Another Australian driver in F1’s recent history, Mark Webber, is also involved in the story, as he is Piastri’s manager.
Webber arrives to speak with Ricciardo, who replaced him at Red Bull in 2014, ahead of Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix.
“I felt he didn’t have to, but he felt like apologizing and trying to see how I was,” Ricciardo said. “I know what the sport is like. It’s nothing personal for me, and he wanted to make sure I knew that, understood that and just to make sure I was feeling okay.
“He felt really bad obviously how it went down and obviously how things were presented in the media and that. It was a pleasure talking to him. .”
Ricciardo’s next move is still unclear. Alpine looks set to sign AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly for next season, leaving his choice between Haas and Williams.
Ahead of this weekend’s race, Ricciardo said he is getting ready for the idea that F1 won’t be a year away.
