According to reports, Haas is in touch with Daniel Ricciardo about taking Mick Schumacher’s place on the team in 2023.
McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo has entered the Formula 1 driver market as his current team attempts to reach an agreement on a settlement that would allow Ricciardo to exit his contract early and allow Oscar Piastri to fill his seat.
All of this became public during the Hungarian Grand Prix at the start of the summer break, but according to ESPN, Haas Boss Guenther Steiner called Ricciardo on July 31, the day before the race in Budapest.
This occurs as the American outfit evaluates their choices for pairing Kevin Magnussen with the Australian in the upcoming season. Although Schumacher has improved recently, earning his first points at Silverstone and at Spielberg, there are still some outstanding concerns following a number of significant crashes earlier in the year.
Additionally, German media reports that Haas believe they can delay making a decision because Fernando Alonso has already been announced as Sebastian Vettel’s replacement at Aston Martin for the upcoming season.
Antonio Giovinazzi, the Italian reserve driver for Ferrari, has also been suggested as a potential contender. The Italian is scheduled to finish FP1 sessions for the team in Austin and Monza.
In addition, Ricciardo has the choice of going back to Alpine or just attempting to stay at McLaren because only he has the final say in whether to depart early.
The eight-time Grand Prix champion explained that one of the things that keeps him motivated to stay in Formula 1 in a recent interview with SpeedCafe. He cited the unpredictability of what would come next as his motivation to stay in F1
And although Ricciardo, who turned 33 this month, has had a challenging few years, he finds inspiration in Sergio Perez, who appeared to be leaving Formula One after 2020 until getting his big break at Red Bull.
“I believe I still thrive off it because I still believe I belong and can do it,” Ricciardo said. “That’s what really gets me jacked… and the love of it, as well as knowing any weekend it could be there, it could be around the corner.”
“Monza last year…a week before at Zandvoort nobody was predicting that, not even myself, so even just the thought of a weekend like that could be one week away, it’s pretty cool.”
“I was saying it when I was 27, ‘ah, I’m getting older!’… in a way, yes, I’m getting older, but I think also I know a bit more about the sport now and I know things take time,” he said in an interview with Motorsport.com.
“We all believe we can win. So it’s like, well I want to win tomorrow but it’s not always like that.”
“Even now, talking about 2024 or 2025, in a way it’s hard to think that far ahead. But it will come around quickly.”
“You also take like little things from if it’s a Perez, when his career looked over and now he’s potentially fighting for a World Championship. The sport can change so quickly.”
