F1 news: Daniel Ricciardo reveals his call to Oscar Piastri after McLaren sacking

Daniel Ricciardo could be forgiven for bearing a bit of grudge against the man who has taken his Formula One seat - but that’s not how the Aussie operates.

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed he called Oscar Piastri to tell him there were no hard feelings about how the McLaren contract debacle has played out.

After months of speculation about his future in the sport, Ricciardo had his contract terminated a year early with compatriot Piastri finally announced as his replacement last week.

Piastri joined McLaren after a legal stoush with Alpine was settled by F1’s Contract Recognition Board (CRB) who ruled the rookie did not have a viable contract with the French team for 2023.

Ricciardo walks away from McLaren with a reported $14.5m payout and while he is yet to confirm his future plans, he insists Piastri should feel no guilt.

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Daniel Ricciardo says he called Piastri

“I’ve spoken to Oscar and just made sure that there’s no bad feelings there,” Ricciardo said at the Dutch Grand Prix.

“I understand how this works. He’s trying to make it, he’s trying to get into Formula One. This moment should be really big for him.

“I don’t want to make it a bad situation for him, and that’s that. It’s nothing personal. So that’s all the conversation was. I truly do wish him well. I want him to have a good run in Formula One.

“Obviously he’s a lot younger than me, so I don’t know maybe how he feels, if he’s nervous to reach out and see how I’m doing. Also I wanted to make sure that it was clear that I understand his position and absolutely no hard feelings. So yeah, that was good.

“I think it made him feel better, and I think the last thing he wanted was to have some weird tension between a few of the only Australians that have ever been in this sport, so I’m glad that we’ve done that.”

With Pierre Gasly favourite to join Alpine and his vacant seat reportedly taken by emerging talent Colton Herta, Ricciardo’s options are limited.

He was overheard in Holland speaking about “taking a year out” - an option he has said he is open to.

Williams and Haas are the only two teams yet to confirm their line-ups for next year though neither is likely to fulfil Ricciardo’s aspirations of being competitive.

Ricciardo also revealed that besides calling Piastri to clear the air, he had been approached by his manager and former driver Mark Webber in Holland.

“I feel he didn’t need to, but he felt like he wanted to in a way apologise and try to just see how I’m doing,” Ricciardo said of his conversation with Webber.

“I know how this sport is. It’s nothing personal to me, and he wanted to make sure that I knew that and understood that and just to make sure that I felt okay.

“He feels really bad obviously how it’s gone down and obviously how things are put out there in the media and that. It was nice to speak to him.”

‘BROKEN TRUST’: WHY PIASTRI HAD TO OUST RICCIARDO

“Unfortunate” is how Oscar Piastri has described replacing compatriot Daniel Ricciardo on the F1 grid for 2023 but he insists that the untenable situation at Alpine left him with no choice.

After months of speculation, public rejections and premature team announcements, the worst kept secret in Formula One was confirmed at the Dutch Grand Prix on Friday with Piastri signing a multi-year deal to partner Lando Norris from 2023.

The deal, orchestrated by his manager and former driver Mark Webber, has dominated the headlines in recent weeks and with details now being made public, it seems a contract with McLaren had been in place since July 4.

It means Ricciardo’s fate was sealed seven weeks before he was told his contract was going to be terminated during which time he made public commitments to McLaren.

The debacle means Piastri may well be the only Australian on the grid in 2023 with Ricciardo’s options limited.

“I wish him all the best for whatever his future holds,” Piastri told F1.com in his first interview since his deal was announced.

Oscar Piastri has spoken publicly about his controversial move to McLaren. Picture: Getty Images

“That being said, I don’t get to choose which driver I replace.

“I can’t not take an opportunity because the previous driver in that seat was Daniel. McLaren were extremely keen to have me on board and it was an opportunity that was too good to refuse.

“As a fellow Australian, it’s unfortunate that of all people on the grid, it’s Daniel who I will be replacing. I have immense respect for Daniel.”

Whispers of a move to McLaren have been circulating since Piastri and Alpine came to blows on social media in a bitter stoush which ultimately ended up in court.

The 21-year-old has been with Alpine for four years and is their test and reserve driver.

At the start of August, the French team announced that Piastri would replace the departing Fernando Alonso next season. However, only hours later, Piastri posted a message to say he would not be racing for them.

It then emerged that he had already signed a contract with McLaren.

Oscar Piastri has been with Alpine for four years. Picture: Getty Images

The issue was referred to Formula One’s Contract Recognition Board (CRB), a panel of four independent lawyers, who found in McLaren’s favour.

Piastri described the last six weeks as “upsetting” and said he had lost all trust in the French team.

“The CRB ruling has confirmed I didn’t have a contract for the 2023 season [with Alpine],” he said.

“I was free to choose my destiny – and I felt McLaren was a great opportunity.

“To be completely honest, there was a lack of clarity around my future at the team at Alpine.

“They publicly stated they wished to continue with Fernando for at least one or two more years. I respect that. But after spending the year out, my hopes were firmly set on an Alpine seat and the lack of clarity and, similarly to Fernando, a bit of a strange feeling in negotiations, it didn’t feel like it was the right decision for me [to stay around].

“The lack of clarity around my future, and ultimately a breakdown in trust, I felt the very attractive offer of McLaren and the positive dealings with them thus far were all reasons why I felt McLaren was where I was best off for the future.”

Daniel Ricciardo will be replaced at McLaren by fellow Australian driver Oscar Piastri. Picture: Getty Images

Piastri dropped a bombshell on Alpine when he took to Twitter to publicly deny he would ever drive for them.

A messy situation for both the team and the driver worsened after Alpine boss Otmar Sfaznauer claimed Piastri “smiled and was thankful” when told they were about to announce him as Esteban Ocon’s teammate for next season.

“That was a bizarre and frankly upsetting episode,” Piastri said.

“It was done publicly in front of some members of the team who were oblivious to the situation and I didn’t want to cause a scene in front of them.

“Once we were in private, I told Otmar what our position was and what he had been told multiple times before that. It was very surprising to me to make that announcement.”

While many criticised the Australian for being so public in his rejection – with some even labelling him ungrateful given the time Alpine had invested in him — Piastri is adamant he had to clarify false claims.

“It was the biggest moment of my career and probably my life up to now,” he said.

“To have that falsely announced was something my management and I felt we had to correct and there was also potential legal implications if we didn’t deny the announcement.

“It was not intended to be pointed or in any way anything more than factual. The last line was quite a strong one, but with the CRB ruling, it shows it was purely a fact.”

Piastri will see out the final eight races of the 2022 season as Alpine’s reserve driver before making the switch to the papaya of McLaren in January.

Originally published as F1 news: Daniel Ricciardo reveals his call to Oscar Piastri after McLaren sacking