Bombshell detail exposes Ricciardo betrayal as Piastri takes McLaren seat

A bombshell lie told to Daniel Ricciardo during the messy contract furore with fellow Aussie Oscar Piastri has exposed a damning detail.

Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri.

Daniel Ricciardo had been stabbed in the back nine days before he famously said he was staying with McLaren next year.

A bombshell detail in the FIA review into Oscar Piastri’s contract squabble has revealed a damning detail that showed the Aussie veteran never had a hope of keeping his seat after such a miserable season with McLaren.

The 33-year-old is reportedly set to walk away with a pay out between $14 and $24 million, but he would no doubt give it up in a heartbeat to secure a drive with a competitive team next year.

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Piastri is officially Australia’s next Formula 1 driver, but the national celebrations around his awesome news have been dour at best as a result of the furore which has ultimately seen Ricciardo sacked and — as of right now — heading into unemployment next year.

The FIA’s Contract Recognition Board on Friday night handed down their judgment following a meeting on Monday, announcing Piastri’s contract to race for McLaren in 2023 has been certified.

It is far from the end of the circus.

Piastri was contracted to Alpine but rejected the team’s seat after it announced without his consent that he would be driving for them in 2023. It was an extraordinary development in the wake of Fernando Alonso’s shock exit for Aston Martin.

The FIA contract review ultimately concluded Piastri and McLaren had completed a deal the day after the British Grand Prix on July 4.

Nine days later, Ricciardo released a statement on Instagram insisting he wasn’t going anywhere.

Ricciardo is out at McLaren. (Photo by Geert Vanden Wijngaert / POOL / AFP)

Piastri’s saga isn’t over yet. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

His words show how out of the loop he was and how disgracefully he has been treated.

“There have been a lot of rumours around my future in Formula One, but I want you to hear it from me,” Ricciardo told his 7.2 million followers on Instagram.

“I am committed to McLaren until the end of next year and am not walking away from the sport.

“Appreciate it hasn’t always been easy, but who wants easy! I’m working my ass off with the team to make improvements and get the car right and back to the front where it belongs.”

He didn’t know he had already been sacked.

However, McLaren on Saturday morning insisted the Aussie had been informed throughout the entire process about where he sat.

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl said: “Regarding Daniel, as we have communicated last week, I think throughout this year, (chief executive) Zak Brown and myself, together with Daniel, had an open and transparent dialogue at any time of where we both are.

“And therefore there’s no issue in that aspect.”

Ricciardo then rubbished that statement in an interview with Sky Sports.

“On the date, that’s the first I’ve heard,” he said.

“I’m not aware of timelines and this and that, and what the team’s discussing.

“To be honest, already, let’s say before that date, let’s say month, we were already discussing my, not my future, but of course where we could improve to try and have a better future with the team.

“I’m aware that there was going to be talks ongoing. So in terms of timelines, yeah, it’s also, I guess what the team does, let’s say, preparing Oscar, that’s not also my business in terms of what day they spoke and this or that.

“If that’s the case, then so be it. It’s not really my decision to make.”

It has previously been reported Ricciardo had finally been told he wasn’t wanted by McLaren after the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 31. It then took several weeks of negotiations before a settlement was reached that allowed the Aussie to walk away with a very rich golden handshake.

Through it all, Ricciardo and Piastri have been at the centre of the storm — but have not spoken about it together.

Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri.

It may say everything or absolutely nothing about the relationship they have.

However, the way the saga has played out, with reports Piastri and his manager — and Formula 1 great — Mark Webber had been making backroom deals to oust Ricciardo, it makes it very easy and very unfair to portray the reigning Formula 2 world champion as the bad guy.

It doesn’t help that Ricciardo hasn’t spoken to Webber or Piastri, but the West Australian has stressed it is simply the nature of the cut throat business.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, he said there are no hard feelings.

“I honestly still don’t know what the future holds for Oscar. But yeah... it’s just business. Mark’s doing his job for Oscar. I don’t take any of that personal,” he said.

“Assuming Oscar is guaranteed a spot on the grid somewhere next year, I will support a fellow Aussie. I don’t think there’s been reason for them to reach out.”

It is an eyebrow-raising coincidence that Ricciardo was the man who ended Webber’s Formula 1 career when he took his seat at Red Bull in 2013.

The incredible drama has overshadowed what should have been such an amazing day for Australian motorsport.

What comes next for Ricciardo is anyone’s guess, but the available seats are filling up fast and it is looking very possible that he will miss out on a spot on the grid in 2023.