Daniel Ricciardo admits he had sympathy for his McLaren replacement Oscar Piastri amidst the circus that followed his exit from the F1 grid.
The Australian left McLaren after his contract was terminated a year early following a frustrating two-year stint. And Ricciardo saw talented compatriot Piastri take his seat as he was left without a drive for 2023 after months of speculation.
Ricciardo weighed up his limited options before deciding upon a return to Red Bull as a reserve driver - in the hope of eventually driving a car that is competing for race wins once again.
Rising star Piastri, a Formula 3 and Formula 2 winner, was confirmed as Lando Norris' new teammate after rejecting Alpine to become Ricciardo's replacement at McLaren. Piastri was caught in the maelstrom of a dispute between two F1 teams, as well as facing backlash for being the driver to oust the much-loved Ricciardo.
And Ricciardo has now explained why he felt sorry for Piastri, as the 21-year-old could not simply bask in the glory of his incredible achievement after making it all the way to F1.
“I felt for him,” he said on the the Australian Grand Prix’s In The Fast Lane podcast. “Don’t get me wrong, of course my career was kind of in a way going tits up so I was certainly very occupied with myself in trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do.
“But at the same time I was aware of some of the comments and stuff that was going towards him… I felt for him for a few reasons. This should be one of the biggest moments of your life, getting into Formula 1, it’s a dream come true. And if it can’t really be enjoyed or celebrated then it’s a bit of a shame.
“It was just how the chips fell. He was in the situation, but it’s not like he created the situation. It was just a product of all these things happening and he was the guy.”
Piastri shares a huge mutual respect with eight-time Grand Prix winner Ricciardo, and credited the experienced driver for reaching out before his 2023 debut.
“A true professional, Daniel is," Piastri said before the end of the 2022 season. "My respect for him was already extremely high and it’s only gotten higher in the way he’s responded. With him getting in touch like that, it was great for me personally. Knowing that there’s no hard feelings, that really helped me quite a lot – it was a nice moment.
“I think if I can get close to emulating [the] success he’s had on track, and also the character he is off the track, then I think I’ll be doing a reasonable job."
