656: Ricciardo Leaves McLaren - what went wrong, what next?

Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren have agreed to part ways at the end of the current Formula 1 season, bringing a premature end to his tenure at the Woking-based squad. In the wake of the Australian’s ongoing difficulties to get on terms with team-mate Lando Norris during their two years alongside each other, McLaren began a process several weeks ago to agree a separation. With McLaren hoping to sign Oscar Piastri for 2023, who is currently in a contract dispute with the Alpine squad where he is its reserve driver, it began discussions with Ricciardo about a termination of his current deal so it could open a slot for the youngster. Those talks have now reached a conclusion with McLaren and Ricciardo agreeing that this will be his final season with the team. The news was announced first by the Australian driver on Wednesday, ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix. On today's Autosport podcast we bring you today's episode of Flat Chat, the monthly podcast to accompany each edition of GP Racing magazine. If you like it, you can subscribe to Flat Chat here: https://audioboom.com/channels/5047859 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices