Brendan Lines May 14th, 2020

Australian Daniel Ricciardo tonight has signed a multi-year deal to drive for McLaren in 2021, ending his two year tenure as a Renault driver.

Daniel Ricciardo with new McLaren team-mate Lando Norris – Image: F1.com

Ricciardo now takes over the vacant seat left by Carlos Sainz who has signed with Ferrari also tonight.

With racing on hold, possibly returning in July, Formula 1’s driver market ‘silly season’ is in full swing, triggered by the departure of four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel from Ferrari on Tuesday.

The 30-year old Aussie steps into what has been a resurgent McLaren outfit, which finished fourth in the 2019 World Constructors Championship ahead of Ricciardo’s former Renault team.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has welcomed Ricciardo to the team in a statement on McLaren’s website.

“Signing Daniel is another step forward in our long-term plan and will bring an exciting new dimension to the team, alongside Lando. This is good news for our team, partners and of course our fans.

“I also want to pay tribute to Carlos for the excellent job he has been doing for McLaren in helping our performance recovery plan. He is a real team player and we wish him well for his future beyond McLaren,” he said.

An established race winner with seven Grand Prix victories, Ricciardo has become a sought after talent according to McLaren Team principal Andreas Siedl.

“Daniel is a proven race-winner and his experience, commitment and energy will be a valuable addition to McLaren and our mission to return to the front of the field. With Daniel and Lando as teammates, I believe we have two racers who will continue to excite our fans and help the team grow,” he said.

Ricciardo is the first Australian F1 driver to take a race seat in McLaren — who next to Ferrari are one of Formula 1’s most successful and historic teams.

Ricciardo will join his team-mate 20-year old Lando Norris, who will be in his third year with the team in 2021, is fresh off a ‘wildcard’ victory in the Supercars eSeries on Wednesday night.

McLaren have been on a long road back from its halcyon championship winning days, which seemingly pushed two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso away from the sport in 2018.

The question remains why would Ricciardo risk it all again? perhaps its been all too long between a ‘shoey’ for the smiling Australian — who put on a brave face amid less than desirable results in 2019 with Renault.

After a near billion-dollar investment into Renault’s factory team, its poor results has lead to much uncertainty around the team’s future, even before the 2020 season was put ‘on ice’ from the COVID-19 pandemic.

However McLaren taking customer engines from reigning World Champions Mercedes next year, ahead of the new regulations delayed for 2022, may have been a big carrot for the Australian to make the move.

In order for Ricciardo to bed himself in a team with a clear long-term commitment to fight for the World Championship and provide the Australian a return to the top step of the podium for another ‘shoey.’