OPINION | Ricciardo should become F1 pundit in 2023 and hope for a '24 miracle

Daniel Ricciardo is without a racing seat for the 2023 season, and his chances of securing one are decreasing by the day. The McLaren seat, which he believed was his until the end of next year when his contract expires, was given to Formula 1 debutant and fellow Australian Oscar Piastri.

The announcement's timing wasn't well-timed either, as it left Ricciardo on the fringes of being sidelined for at least one season. And competitive options are slim, with Haas rumoured to consider Nico Hulkenberg to replace fellow German Mick Schumacher, and AlphaTauri either sticking with Pierre Gasly or replacing him with an unlikely candidate in Nyck de Vries.

Alpine, Ricciardo's old team when they were still called Renault, could look to sign Schumacher or Gasly - provided the latter can get out of his Red Bull/AlphaTauri contract. Ricciardo is not an option.

Is there still hope for Ricciardo to secure a racing seat in 2023, then?

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Sadly, Ricciardo's performances in the McLaren the last two years have not been all that great. Bar the win in Italy last year, he has not had a noteworthy performance that could have swung the pendulum in his favour. The writing has been on the wall for some time, but the Aussie believed the English team would respect his contract.

With his limited options, it has been rumoured that Ricciardo received an offer from the Mercedes-AMG team to be their official reserve driver. This will put him on the sidelines for 2023 - at least - but he will be the team's first option to replace Lewis Hamilton or George Russell if either driver can't fulfil driving duties. He will also get opportunities to