39: Ricciardo Parts With McLaren - what went wrong, what next?

McLaren has formally announced that it no longer requires the services of Daniel Ricciardo for the 2023 Formula 1 season, leaving the Australian to fight for his future on the grid - the cover story of the latest GP Racing magazine and the lead talking point in this episode of the Flat Chat podcast.

GP Racing magazine editor and host Stuart Codling is joined by columnist Mark Gallagher and Autosport F1 editor Matt Kew to assess why Ricciardo’s stock has fallen so far since his Red Bull exit, what tailored approach is required to lift him out of the doldrums, and what he and McLaren must do next as they part ways.

F1 and Netflix star Ricciardo’s own drive to survive is the cover story of this month’s GP Racing. The eight-time grand prix winner sat down exclusively with our own staff writer Oleg Karpov for a revealing 1-to-1 a year after his well-executed victory in the 2021 Italian GP arrested some of the questions being asked about his form in his first year in papaya, alongside Lando Norris.

But even success at Monza this time around will come too late to save his seat at McLaren. The margins of performance to Norris adding up to huge differences over a lap and indeed in the championship fight. The summer break will have also afforded fewer opportunities than before for him to cleanse body and mind, since Ricciardo will have been busy negotiating his severance package from McLaren while looking at other options for 2023.

The panel for this edition of the Flat Chat podcast also discuss the changing role of F1’s team principals in respect of our GP Racing feature shadowing Aston Martin boss Mike Krack during a race weekend to see precisely what the big wigs' job description entails.

Codling, Gallagher and Kew then take a look at Porsche’s imminent arrival in F1, following the FIA World Motor Sport Council finally signing off the 2026 power unit regulations. They evaluate the scale of the coup that Porsche’s presence will represent for Liberty Media, and also opine on how the famous Stuttgart manufacturer might interact with F1 disruptor Red Bull.