McLaren officially sacks Daniel Ricciardo

It came as no real surprise to the Formula 1 community when McLaren officially announced on Wednesday that they have decided to terminate the contract of current driver Daniel Ricciardo a year early.

The team confirmed that the Australian will leave McLaren at the end of the season despite having had a contract that should have kept him in the car until the end of 2023. They claim it to be a "mutually agreed" decision, but it is clear that the team initiated the split despite the driver's commitment to stay on to finish his contract.

Anyone who has been watching F1 for the past 18 months will know that McLaren made the decision due to the obvious fact that Ricciardo has not been able to reach expectations. His sub-par performances were glaringly exposed by his younger and less-experienced teammate Lando Norris, who has been out-performing him consistently throughout their time together.

Despite the fact that Ricciardo won a surprise victory for the team in Monza last season, he finished the season in eighth place compared to Norris' 6th. There was also a 45-point gap between them.

This season is even worse, with Norris in seventh place and Ricciardo currently all the way down in 12th, with a 57-point gap dividing them.

The Australian has also been out-qualified consistently by his teammate, with the young Briton three places higher on average. That's a huge gap for teammates, with the two drivers expected to at least be side-by-side on the grid as often as possible.

Needless to say, McLaren pulled the trigger for a good reason, and it is one that even a casual observer can see plainly. McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl did not sugarcoat the decision, saying in a statement: "If you look back at the last 18 months of our journey together, Daniel and McLaren, it's clear we haven't achieved the result we wanted, despite highlights like the great win in Monza last year."

Ricciardo immediately took to social media to share a few words with his fans as well.

In an official statement, he said: "I've enjoyed working with everyone at McLaren both trackside and back in Woking and will be giving my all on and off track as we enjoy the remainder of the season together."

The eight-time race winner did not say if he already has a drive for 2023, but he confirmed that he is not yet considering walking away from the sport. "I've never been more motivated to compete and be a part of a sport that I love so much and look forward to what comes next," he said.

As for McLaren, they are expected to announce the arrival of rookie driver Oscar Piastri, who earlier confirmed that he won't be replacing Fernando Alonso in Alpine. The Formula 2 champion was initially announced as the Spaniard's replacement, but there was an apparent misunderstanding between the parties involved. The FIA had to intervene to settle his contract issues, and it is expected that he will be able to join McLaren next season.