Ricciardo thanks his supporters after final race in Papaya
Monday, 21 November 2022
Will we see the Aussie back on the grid one day?
The next chapter is about to unfold for Daniel Ricciardo after he finished P9 in his final race for McLaren at Abu Dhabi.
A points finish marked a solid way to end what has been a difficult two years at the Woking-based team, despite his incredible victory at Monza last year.
“I'm really pleased to get some points in my last race for McLaren,” Daniel said after the race.
“I felt like I did the best I could with the pace I had.
“I was struggling to keep the front tyres alive. That was the biggest limitation, that’s where it got a bit tricky. I felt in terms of moves, I defended when I could and overtook when I could, so from that point of view, I'm pretty pleased.
“Vettel caught me quite quick in the end and trying to hold him off I think I killed the tyres a bit but I am happy to have held on and got the points.
"It was a good end to the season. Big thanks to the whole team – they also put a nice message on the dash after the race, so that was cool. Appreciate that.
“We've had some high highs and some low lows but throughout it all I’ve enjoyed my time here racing alongside Lando and hopefully doing McLaren proud.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far, Papaya army and everyone both trackside and back in Woking - I can't thank you enough.
“It may have been my last race for McLaren but I'm looking forward to what comes next. I wish the team the very best for next season.”
Current speculation seems to indicate that Ricciardo will be moving back to Red Bull Racing as a reserve driver for 2023 with Christian Horner confirming that an offer is on the table.
The Australian has been adamant that he hopes to come back with a vengeance to the F1® grid in 2024.
For now, let’s celebrate Ricciardo’s incredible career so far with the most Grand Prix starts for an Australian, eight wins, 32 podiums, three pole positions and 1311 points.
Hope to see you back at Albert Park soon, Daniel.
