The way forward for Daniel Ricciardo’s Method One profession has by no means regarded so unsure. On Wednesday, he and McLaren confirmed they are going to half firm on the finish of 2022, one 12 months earlier than his contract was resulting from expire.

It is a outstanding flip of occasions for one in every of F1’s most proficient and well-liked drivers. Ricciardo’s inventory has taken a giant hit over the previous 18 months since he arrived on the British crew. There was the plain excessive of his gorgeous Italian Grand Prix victory final 12 months — a tantalising glimpse of Ricciardo at his very best and McLaren’s solely race win since 2012 — but it surely stands out because the anomaly in an in any other case irritating spell of falling nicely beneath the expectations McLaren and F1 followers had of him.

Issues have been made worse by the excellent type of teammate Lando Norris, who’s at the moment 57 factors forward of Ricciardo within the championship, however McLaren’s resolution to tug the set off was nonetheless a stunning consequence to the entire saga.

It could be a large disappointment if Method One misplaced Ricciardo. At his finest, he is likely one of the finest drivers within the sport and arguably the very best overtaker in F1 — memorably, he as soon as stated his method to out-braking his opponents was “lick the stamp and ship it” — but it surely’s been a very long time since we have seen that model of Ricciardo, who claimed seven of his eight profession wins between 2014 and 2018 at Purple Bull. He stays some of the marketable athletes on the grid proper now.

Huge questions now linger. The place will he go subsequent? And, if he finds a brand new seat, can he ever rediscover his outdated self?

Regardless of the humbling finish to his tenure with McLaren, it is arduous to think about Ricciardo not racing in F1 subsequent season.

Rumours of Ricciardo fascinated with retirement have lingered all 12 months however haven’t been primarily based on something the Australian driver has truly stated publicly or privately. His need to remain in F1 is evident — ESPN understands he’s reluctant to take a sabbatical from the championship subsequent 12 months as a result of it may fairly simply flip right into a retirement if the appropriate alternative doesn’t materialise in 2024.

Notably, his quote in Wednesday’s press launch completed with: “I’ve by no means been extra motivated to compete and be part of a sport that I like a lot and sit up for what comes subsequent”.

The circumstances round his early exit from McLaren may have solely added gasoline to that fireplace to compete. It’s arduous to think about Ricciardo wanting his F1 profession to finish on the bitter word of getting a contract torn up one 12 months early. Proper now a return to Alpine, the place he raced when it was known as Renault in 2019 and 2020, looks like probably the most logical vacation spot and it’s believed there’s curiosity on each side about rekindling the partnership.

Probably the most interesting a part of that transfer would come from Alpine’s place alongside McLaren within the aggressive order. The 2 groups are at the moment combating for fourth place within the championship and the sensation in F1 is the order isn’t more likely to change in a dramatic manner subsequent season, that means a return to the Enstone crew would include the tantalising alternative to battle the crew which gave him the boot.

In fact, McLaren wouldn’t be too involved about that occuring primarily based on Ricciardo’s latest type, however there’s a feeling inside Ricciardo’s camp and inside the F1 paddock typically {that a} change of surroundings is what he must get again to the extent he as soon as competed at.

The transfer would go well with each events. Alpine’s present status has taken a little bit of a battering in latest weeks in how badly it has managed the short- and long-term way forward for its driver line-up. The crew has let Fernando Alonso and, in all probability, Method 2 champion Oscar Piastri (who appears set to interchange Ricciardo at McLaren) slip by way of its fingers within the area of some months by way of some pretty outstanding mismanagement of the state of affairs. Signing a reputation driver like Ricciardo would soften the blow of that a bit of bit for crew boss Otmar Szafnauer.

Alpine would additionally seemingly not really feel compelled to pay Ricciardo anyplace close to as a lot as they did when he joined in 2019, which was reported at $25 million a 12 months, given the explanations his McLaren contract has been reduce brief.

Haas and Williams are but to verify who will accomplice Kevin Magnussen and Alex Albon, respectively, subsequent season, and it’s unlikely both crew will signal one other driver whereas Ricciardo continues to be available on the market. Each are understood to have reached out to Ricciardo this summer time.

Haas can be a tantalising choice, linking two of the celebrities of Netflix’s hit documentary ‘Drive to Survive’, Ricciardo and Haas boss Guenther Steiner, in the identical crew. A Ricciardo-Magnussen driver line-up would fairly comfortably be Haas’ finest because it joined the grid in 2016.

The American crew has been spectacular this season within the midfield however it will be a massively dangerous transfer given its restricted assets. One apparent plus level can be the crew’s shut hyperlinks to Ferrari, which could give Ricciardo a route in to the Italian crew in future had been he to rediscover his outdated type, however it will symbolize an infinite gamble.

As enjoyable because the prospect of Ricciardo at Haas appears to be, Alpine makes probably the most sense for everybody concerned. Whereas Ricciardo might want to rebuild his status wherever he does find yourself subsequent the F1 grid can be a a lot worse off with out him racing on it.