Daniel Ricciardo turned all eyes in the paddock towards him with a spectacular weekend in the Mexican GP. The Aussie had recovered from a bad injury, but he was still not accustomed to AlphaTauri because he had been away for so many races. Nevertheless, Daniel Ricciardo showed us a glimpse of the old ‘Honey Badger’ as he outqualified many of the faster cars and ended up 7th in the main race.
Daniel Ricciardo was sacked from McLaren after the end of the 2022 season, after which he received a huge sum in compensation. He was unable to produce the desired results with the team, resulting in an early departure.
Daniel Ricciardo caused £9 million loss for McLaren
Daniel Ricciardo’s exit from McLaren wasn’t shocking at all, as the Honey Badger was unable to work his magic and give McLaren consistent results. The only good time they had was the victory in Monza 2021, which gave McLaren a sigh of relief. Daniel could never replicate that race-winning performance again, and he was asked to leave the team early on. Daniel Ricciardo still had a year left on his contract, and McLaren had to pay him compensation before he could switch to Red Bull.
However, Ricciardo was the only one who could cancel his contract anytime soon, and Daniel asked for a whopping $21 million to terminate his contract ahead of the 2023 season. Daniel was to be replaced by Oscar Piastri, and he sought out an eight-figure compensation in exchange. Daniel had to refund any amount he received in case he signed up for a team.
After all the fiascos, when things have finally settled out, McLaren has sent out their annual report, which indicates a £9 million loss for the Papaya team amidst his transfer to AlphaTauri.
McLaren annual report details
McLaren Racing Limited, which incorporates its F1, IndyCar, Formula E, and Extreme E teams, posted a revenue of £327.892 million to December 31, 2022.
The recent report indicates an increase in revenue from 2021, almost equal to £115 million, due “primarily to increased sponsors in the year, a return to pre-covid hospitality, and inclusion of revenue from the IndyCar operations,” as the McLaren Group suggests.
In spite of these favorable gains, McLaren has reported an ultimate loss of £9.08 million post-2022, interlinking it to Daniel’s early exit. Their official reports suggested that “pressures across all costs as well as a one-off provision for driver costs and increased costs related to a return to pre-covid hospitality levels have all contributed to this.”
Daniel Ricciardo seems to be enjoying his time back at AlphaTauri camp and wants to continue pushing on. Do you think sacking him was a loss for McLaren? Do comment down your opinions.
