McLaren 'door remains open' for Daniel Ricciardo 'if the stars aligned', claims Zak Brown

Daniel Ricciardo bid farewell to McLaren after two years with the Woking-based team. McLaren replaced Ricciardo with his fellow compatriot Oscar Piastri in September after a public battle between Piastri and his former team Alpine.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown recently claimed that it was tough for the team to let Daniel Ricciardo go. Brown also hinted at a potential return for the Aussie to the British outfit, albeit in some other racing series.

Brown was quoted as saying:

"I very much hope to see him on the grid again in Formula 1 — which is his desire — and the door remains open to him to be in some McLaren in the future if the stars aligned. I’d love to go racing with him again."

Zak Brown also mentioned the 2021 F1 Italian GP, a high point in Ricciardo's McLaren career. The Australian managed to win the race and secure the only win in the team's history in the hybrid era. According to Brown, it was his favorite race in the past 30 years. The CEO said:

"But the memory of Monza is to date my favorite memory of 30 years in motorsports and I’ve got to thank Daniel for that."

Brown also brought up the difficulties that Daniel Ricciardo faced during his time with the British team. Brown was left scratching his head after the Aussie was unable to figure out how to adapt to McLaren, something his teammate Lando Norris easily did. Brown said:

"It was tough –we all love Daniel. He’s such a great spirit in the garage and on the radio and in the MTC, but sometimes things don’t work out. It’s kind of the great mystery, because he definitely has the talent, he showed us that in Monza. He’s won eight grands prix — that’s not won because everyone got wiped out at Turn 1 in Monza, he took the lead and was gone."

It was due to a lack of positive results that Brown decided to terminate Daniel Ricciardo's contract a year early. The Woking-based team decided to sign a young prospect that would strengthen the team's chances of challenging for a race win and potentially a championship in the coming years.

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Lando Norris confirms great relations with former McLaren teammate Daniel Ricciardo

Lando Norris was left frustrated after Netflix's portrayal of him and Ricciardo's rivalry at McLaren in the 2021 F1 season. The young driver posted a photo with his longtime friend and commented that he had fond memories of driving with the Aussie.

In an interview with TheRace, Lando Norris said:

"It just frustrates me when I see people trying to make it look like we hate each other or that we don’t like each other, or have fun or whatever. I hate that people think that because there’s not been one case where that’s been the truth."

Daniel Ricciardo joined Red Bull as a test and reserve driver for the 2023 Formula 1 season. The Australian will be looking to return to F1 in the 2024 season and add some more trophies to his already brilliant career in the sport.