Daniel Ricciardo to drive for McLaren from next year

Carlos Sainz’s move to Ferrari isn’t the only big news to happen in Formula 1 recently, as it has been announced that Daniel Ricciardo will drive for McLaren from 2021 on a “multi-year” agreement.

The Australian driver will effectively replace Sainz and join Lando Norris at the Woking-based team next year, which leaves his former team Renault with an empty seat to fill next year.

“Signing Daniel is another step forward in our long-term plan and will bring an exciting new dimension to the team, alongside Lando. This is good news for our team, partners and of course our fans. I also want to pay tribute to Carlos for the excellent job he has been doing for McLaren in helping our performance recovery plan. He is a real team player and we wish him well for his future beyond McLaren,” said Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing.

“Daniel is a proven race-winner and his experience, commitment and energy will be a valuable addition to McLaren and our mission to return to the front of the field. With Daniel and Lando as teammates, I believe we have two racers who will continue to excite our fans and help the team grow,” commented Andreas Seidl, team principal of the McLaren F1 Team.

Prior to the McLaren move, Ricciardo signed a two-year deal with Renault to drive for the French team in the 2019 and 2020 seasons, which came as a shock after five years with Red Bull.

The 30-year-old has yet to win a World Drivers’ Championship title in Formula 1, with his best result coming in 2014, where he finished third in the championship. His move to McLaren is a clear indication that he is betting big on the British team to improve his chances of doing so, especially given the switch to Mercedes-Benz power units from 2021.

The post Daniel Ricciardo to drive for McLaren from next year appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

from Paul Tan's Automotive News
Read The Rest:paultan...