Amidst heavy scrutiny over Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 future at McLaren in 2023, here is a look at contenders to replace him next season.
A series of poor performances in which he has collected just 17 points from three top-ten finishes in 11 races has left Ricciardo sat 12th in the driver standings, in turn raising serious questions over his future as McLaren continue to build a multi-series driver roster.
McLaren are also set to join Formula E from next season on top of their current F1, IndyCar and Extreme E commitments, whilst holding a driver roster containing; Lando Norris, Alex Palou, Alexander Rossi, Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and Ricciardo.
Oscar Piastri and Colton Herta meanwhile are reserve and test drivers respectively meaning that McLaren are spoilt for choice across their four racing disciplines next season, although Piastri is primarily contracted to Alpine who have their own plans for the Aussie in 2023.
Ricciardo meanwhile tweeted this week that he remains “committed” to McLaren and is “not walking away from the sport.”
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) July 13, 2022
Questions though continue to remain over the prospects of who could replace Ricciardo if McLaren opt to drop him from their F1 team, with a move to their Formula E or IndyCar outfits a possibility so here is a guide to who could potentially take his F1 seat in that scenario.
Pato O’Ward
Following two impressive seasons since McLaren entered into an initial partnership and consequential takeover of Schmidt Peterson Motorsport during late 2021, O’Ward has established himself as a strong protégé with strong performances which earned him some F1 testing opportunities.
McLaren have also hinted at possibility of the Mexican getting a run out in some FP1 sessions later this season, which is something that they have rarely done aside from with Norris in 2018 prior to his promotion the following season.
O’Ward meanwhile currently lies fifth in this season’s IndyCar standings with one win, following on from his two wins en route to a third-placed championship finish last season underlining his strong raw driver talent.
You therefore would think that the Mexican surely is high up McLaren’s potential shortlist of replacements if Ricciardo is moved across to another series in which McLaren is competing.
Colton Herta
Having signed as a Development Driver for McLaren this season, Herta shouldn’t be ruled out, after having previously been linked to Alfa Romeo and a potential F1 entry by Andretti Autosport in the past year.
Herta though can be prone to small but heavily costly driver errors despite his 56-race experience as an IndyCar driver aged 22 years-old, which is the only downside to handing him a F1 seat because he otherwise has the talent and maturity to be right in the mix with experienced F1 stars.
McLaren though do have a great record of nurturing young talent as seen with Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris in F1, as well as Pato O’Ward in IndyCar after the latter’s disastrous spell with Red Bull’s junior programme in 2019 which could of easily impacted him morale wise.
Herta though would face a whole new challenge in terms of transitioning from IndyCar to F1 but if trust is there between driver and team, it could be a strong move because McLaren will have the experience across both series to help him adapt quicker than any other team.
Alex Palou
Having endured a difficult path towards the top level of motorsport, Palou has certainly fired himself into contention after clinching the 2021 IndyCar title in just his second season in the series and first at Chip Ganassi Racing.
Upon confirmation of Palou joining McLaren’s driver roster for 2023 and announcement of testing opportunities, there was no announcement of Palou continuing in IndyCar next season which further raises the prospect of a F1 seat next season.
McLaren though are yet to confirm their Formula E driver line-up which could be another option if Palou decides to not continue in IndyCar, whilst Extreme E can’t be ruled out either despite the fact that it would mark a radical departure for Palou from the single-seater path.
Palou also isn’t out of contention for this season’s IndyCar title as he sits 35 points behind championship leader and Chip Ganassi teammate – Marcus Ericsson, which could be crucial because if he wins back-to-back titles then he could propel himself closer towards a F1 seat.
Oscar Piastri
Currently acting as Reserve Driver for McLaren as well as Alpine despite being primarily contracted to the latter with a testing programme, Oscar Piastri surely deserves a shot at securing the race seat if Alpine retain their current driver lineup of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon.
Another positive in Piastri’s favour is that he has already demonstrated his talent with titles across Formula Renault Eurocup, F3 and F2 in the last three respective seasons, yet unfortunate timing left him unfairly on the sidelines this season.
The Melbourne-born 21 year-old though has endured that he remains race-ready with an extensive testing programme courtesy of Alpine, who will also provide him with FP1 running later this season to boost his knowledge of the current cars beyond simulator work and data analysis.
A move to McLaren for Piastri would also see him replace his compatriot and appease Australian fans if Ricciardo was to be dropped at end of this season, whilst ensuring that a young talented driver finally gets a competitive chance in F1 with a solid team.
Either way, Piastri is surely destined for a F1 seat next season because he has proved that he is worthy of racing in F1, although where he ends up on the grid is a tough question at present with rumours linking him to Williams if he doesn’t get the Alpine seat.
Sebastian Vettel
With his contract up at Aston Martin at end of this season, Sebastian Vettel could well fancy one final run at a top team.
The four-time champion however has endured two tough seasons in midfield with Aston Martin and at 35 years-old is in his twilight years of F1, so retirement is an option which would free up a seat for younger talent next season if he decides to move on and focus on new projects.
Should Vettel however still have that fight and desire to push his way back towards the front of F1, McLaren could well be his final roll of the dice and a driver pairing of Vettel plus Norris would be quite interesting because he could benefit Norris in terms of driver development and competition.
McLaren though do seem to be focused on their long-term future hence the driver roster signings of young talent like O’Ward, Herta and Palou, which would make signing Vettel seem a marketing driven choice than a logical decision.
Vettel though does have experience from his time within Red Bull’s setup which might make a move to McLaren look clever, particularly if he can mentor and help the younger drivers with the McLaren family develop their racecraft and improve performance wise.
On that note, a switch to McLaren for Vettel would be quite interesting and especially if he is able to help make an impact on their driver roster behind-the-scenes, whilst still delivering his best on track for their F1 team.
Felipe Drugovich
As the current championship leader of F2 this season, Felipe Drugovich surely deserves a credible mention because he has finally hooked up a strong consistent campaign, after enjoying a solid rookie season in 2020 whilst a switch to Virtuosi last season failed to pay off.
Drugovich’s flexible driving style and excellent tyre management ability also goes in his favour if McLaren want someone fresh, with the Brazilian not only showing consistency but also great all-round racecraft at just 22 years-old despite not having any links to a F1 team.
McLaren also boasts an incredible history across eight seasons in total in which they ran a Brazilian driver (Emerson Fittipaldi 1974-75, Ayrton Senna 1988-93) – with four driver titles and wins in all eight particular seasons, although they’re now more of a midfield team so replicating that form is unlikely.
Drugovich therefore could be viewed as a long-term project given the positive luck that seems to exist between McLaren and Brazilian drivers, although the 22 year-old isn’t a proven F1 driver nor race winner so it would be a gamble worth taking if confident of success.
Jehan Daruvala
Currently part of Red Bull’s Junior Team, Jehan Daruvala has conducted some testing for McLaren this season and lies fourth in the F2 standings, underlining the Indian’s potential given McLaren’s interest because he seems fourth-choice in Red Bull’s youth pecking order.
A move for Daruvala would also help revive interest within India because McLaren would provide a competitive car, which hasn’t really been afforded to previous Indian drivers in F1 before and could even lead to an eventual return of Indian Grand Prix if tax issues can be resolved.
Daruvala though has often lacked consistency at times in F2 but seems to have found form this season, yet lies fourth which would create the issue of why hand him a F1 seat ahead of someone like Drugovich, Logan Sargeant or Theo Pourchaire who are ahead of him in the standings.
Budget therefore would have to do the talking but Daruvala does have the potential to do well if able to maximise his talent within the cockpit, having impressed with his fitness, adaptability, feedback and data analysis in his first test at Silverstone in June.
A second test now beckons at Portimao, Portugal on 18 and 19 July which is going to be crucial if Daruvala is to make an impact upon McLaren’s driver plans for next season, otherwise he faces a tough task to find a F1 seat in coming seasons.
We however can’t rule out a spot on McLaren’s roster though which would open doors if he was to join their IndyCar or Formula E teams and impress, in-turn opening a door towards a F1 seat via one of those two paths.
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