Daniel Ricciardo is unsure what the future holds, but the outgoing McLaren driver hopes to press on in F1, insisting he still loves the sport, saying "this isn't it for me".
Ricciardo and McLaren announced on Wednesday that they mutually agreed to terminate their contract a year early in light of the Aussie's performance shortfall.
In 35 races with McLaren since the start of his tenure with the team in 2021 – and with nine more races to go, Ricciardo has scored only a single podium.
However, that achievement delivered an outright win in last year's Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Ricciardo's options for next season in F1 theoretically include four team: Alpine, Alfa Romeo, Williams and Haas, all of which currently have a seat available for next year's campaign.
But Alpine seems to be the 33-year-old's only viable option, assuming the French outfit is open to Ricciardo's return to the team he left at the end of 2020 to join McLaren
"I think for the future, what lies ahead, I am not sure yet… I am not sure yet. But we’ll see,” Ricciardo said in a message posted on social media.
"I look back at this time with McLaren with a smile. I learnt a lot about myself and I think things that will help me with the next step in my career but also just in general, in life.
"The sport, I still love it… I still love it. This hasn’t affected any of that. I still have that fire in me and that belief in my belly that I can do this at the highest level.
"All that stuff's still there. This isn't it for me but we'll see what lies ahead."
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) August 24, 2022
Ricciardo said that he had held a lot of discussions over the summer with McLaren. But despite the disappointing outcome, he is determined to give it his all in his final nine races with the papaya squad.
"We had a lot of discussions but in the end we mutually decided it was the best thing for both of us. I will continue to do the rest of this year, absolutely, and I’ll continue to give it my all," he said.
"From a result point of view, for sure, consistently to get the results and the form that I was after it wasn’t always there and it was tough. I felt those absolutely. But I also have many happy memories of my time at the team.
©McLaren
"I think about Monza, I think about standing on the top step, I think about bringing the team their first win since 2012.
"That sort of stuff was awesome, to see the smiles on everyone’s faces and to be in that moment. That’s something I’ll never forget so there is a lot of good stuff to take from this as well."
Ricciardo's McLaren teammate Lando Norris paid tribute to the Aussie with a heartfelt message on Twitter.
"What a ride @danielricciardo. From that moment in Monza, to the laughs we've had out of the car, it's been a joy working with you these last two years. Whatever’s next I wish you all the best, let's have a mega next few months."
What a ride @danielricciardo. From that moment in Monza, to the laughs we've had out of the car, it's been a joy working with you these last two years. Whatever’s next I wish you all the best, let's have a mega next few months pic.twitter.com/V0F5oQylpb
— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) August 24, 2022
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