Could Ricciardo be heading to Formula E?
With Oscar Piastri supposedly set to take Daniel Ricciardo’s seat in Formula One next year, could the McLaren man be on his way to Formula E?
Reports are circulating that McLaren bosses have officially told Ricciardo that they intend to replace him with Oscar Piastri next year.
Piastri is highly regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in motorsport, having won the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup, the 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship and the 2021 Formula 2 Championship with Prema Racing.
The Australian’s future looks set to be in Formula One, and last week, the Alpine F1 Team had revealed that Piastri would be replacing the outgoing Fernando Alonso from next year. However, Piastri took to Twitter to deny that claim.
It is now being reported that Piastri is instead heading to McLaren, to replace Daniel Ricciardo.
Ricciardo’s place in Formula One has also been the subject of mass speculation, with the the former Red Bull driver casting doubt over his future with McLaren over the past few weeks.
Despite only five drivers having scored more wins than Ricciardo in the last decade (Hamilton, Vettel, Verstappen, Botas, Rosberg), his time at McLaren has been largely underwhelming.
With only one win to his name for McLaren, Ricciardo’s time in Formula One looks to be up, but a could a future in Formula E be on the cards?
Formula E is one of the fastest growing motorsports in the world, with its current season it’s biggest yet.
Many former Formula One drivers have made the switch to the series’ electric counterpart, such as Jean-Éric Vergne, Sebastien Buemi and Jérôme d’Ambrosio, but Ricciardo would certainly be the biggest name to jump over to FE.
With McLaren set to join Formula E next year, it is reasonable to suggest that Ricciardo could represent the electric arm of McLaren instead.
Ricciardo had attributed his poor form to his car off the back of the last Formula One weekend in Hungary, stating: “If you put me in a winning car, I’ll win.”
However, Ricciardo is becoming an increasingly unappealing proposition to teams in Formula One.
Many teams are now opting for younger driving talent, and, at 33 years old, Ricciardo has still yet to display true title winning potential.
Ricciardo’s teammate, Lando Norris, is seen as the future for McLaren, and with Piastri supposedly set to take his seat, Ricciardo’s options are limited.
Perhaps a move to Alpine to replace Alonso could be on the cards, but as the team had tried to secure Piastri for next year, it looks as though their target is to recruit someone with a younger, more promising profile?
A move across to Formula E seems to work for all parties. McLaren get one of the most successful racing drivers in the world to lead their lineup for their first season in Formula E, and Ricciardo can realise his dream of being the main man of not just McLaren, but for the entire series. Formula E will also benefit from having one of the biggest names in motorsport, with a huge fan base, taking a place on the grid.
The majority of racing fans will want to see Ricciardo back to his best. He is a fan favourite, with his big grin and Bogan sense of humour making him one of the most lovable characters in F1.
That smile has been missing this season, and with Piastri, set to take his seat in Formula One, perhaps Formula E could spark some life back into what is, undoubtedly, an incredible racing driver.
