Daniel Ricciardo “could have driven for Williams or Haas”
Ricciardo will not feature in the F1 2023 driver line-up and will leave McLaren at the end of this season, after his contract was terminated a year early.
Despite talks with numerous teams, the veteran Australian has confirmed that he won’t be on the F1 2023 grid next season.
"I think like everyone bummed he won't be on the grid, because he's great for the sport and he wants to race," said McLaren CEO Brown to RacingNews365.com and SpeedCafe.
"He probably could have driven for Williams or Haas is my guess.
"I’m speculating that he doesn't want to drive for a team that's ninth or 10th in the championship, which I understand, given his pedigree. But hopefully he’ll come back in 2024."
Oscar Piastri will replace Ricciardo at McLaren next season.
Haas and Williams are yet to confirm who will occupy their vacant seats in 2023.
Ricciardo could still opt to become the test and reserve driver for a major team. It is reported that he is in talks with Mercedes over that position, by Canal+.
Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer also admitted he spoke to Ricciardo about their vacant seat before opting for Pierre Gasly.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
