End for Daniel Ricciardo in Formula 1?

Nothing can be found on the social media channels of Daniel Ricciardo himself or his homepage, but on McLaren's Facebook page some fans are indignant about McLaren's behavior toward Daniel Ricciardo. Allegedly, he will be replaced by Oscar Piastri next season at the latest, and some even speculate that this will happen during the current season.

His best years at Red Bull (2014-2017) were actually a few years ago. At the time, there was speculation that he didn't have what it takes to be a world champion, but there's really no sign of that this season. He currently ranks 12th in the drivers' standings with 19 points. His young stablemate Lando Norris, on the other hand, is often at the front of the field, which is why he already has 76 points to his name and ranks 7th in the drivers' standings. Driver ranking proves. His best years really do seem to be over at the moment. In view of such results, it's understandable that McLaren would have lost confidence in Ricciardo and would have opted for a new talent.

In such a case, the severance pay would hit the cash register mightily: There is talk of 15 million (rumored to be his annual salary) to 21 million. Since there is allegedly no exit clause, Ricciardo could insist on keeping his contract until the end of 2023, which is why negotiations are said to be going on behind the scenes about an early termination of the contract. Not a nice situation, for either side, if that's the case. Officially, nothing has been confirmed yet, but often enough such rumors have come true.

In such a situation, the wires naturally run hot. Where else could Ricciardo find a place in Formula 1? Could he inherit the seat of the retiring Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin, or couldn't Haas make good use of a capable driver? Either way, if a replacement becomes a fact, it will also be difficult for Ricciardo to find a place in a top team. The world champion dream would finally be over. Especially the summer break in Formula 1 always gives such speculations a lot of room, but in this case it could now become serious. Let's wait and see.