Lando Norris is on a long-time contract at Woking and doing very nicely, thank you very much. But the same can't be said for Ricciardo who has struggled since joining McLaren at the start of 2021 and still isn't fully getting to grips with the car even now, despite the out-of-the blue victory in last year's Italian GP. And while Norris is cheap home grown 'own brand' talent for McLaren, it had been very expensive to sign Ricciardo. Quite simply he is a luxury premium item that they can no longer afford, leading to much speculation that the team is seeking to terminate his current contract one year early at the end of 2022.
Ricciardo has been adamant and very public that he has a cast-iron contract to remain while still talking about considering his options over the summer presumably in line with a break point in his contract. But CEO Zak Brown has also muttered darkly about certain mechanisms being available to the team to address the situation, maybe performance-related clauses that Ricciardo isn't matching. Finishing out of the points in Hungary might have been more significant than we realised at the time.
Brown has been at pains to roll back any hint that he was looking to ditch Ricciardo, and last month made a declaration that the driver would definitely be racing for McLaren in 2023 - although as some sharp-eyed conspiracy-minded pundits pointed out, Brown didn't specify which of the squad's different operations Ricciardo might be posted to, with IndyCar one of many options.
In the past, Ricciardo himself has expressed interest in trying NASCAR and Le Mans when he retires, but he's been adamant that that's still some time off - unless it's a case of protesting too much and he's just after the best financial deal he can get before agreeing to jump. But the 48 hours that followed Hungary have changed everything, especially if the speculation is right and McLaren has indeed already secured Piastri's services for next season. Three drivers into two cars is not an equation that bodes well for Ricciardo.
What's remarkable is that McLaren has already waded into legal quicksand once in recent weeks, with a lawsuit over their US open wheel operation's signing of reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou despite his already being under option to rival team Chip Ganassi Racing for another season. You might even say McLaren have 'form' in this sort of thing, appearing to go behind the backs of other teams and drivers to ensure they don't miss out themselves.
If they've done something similar with Piastri and Ricciardo then they're going to be making a lot of lawyers very happy (not to mention hugely rich) in the coming months, as well as leaving the driver market on both sides of the Atlantic up in the air until it's all resolved.
If Ricciardo were to get his way and stays put, then there is a risk that Piastri could end up being the best Formula 1 driver who never was, unless he settles for a berth at a significantly lower team like Haas or Williams. After his public rebuke to the team on Tuesday, does Alpine really want to be seen dragging him onto the grid against his will, kicking and screaming like a prepubescent who won't eat his greens? But the consequences are equally high for Ricciardo, who faces the possible end of his 12-year career in F1. If he were not to settle for a role in another part of the McLaren set-up, then what could he do instead?
