Why rejecting Haas has boosted Ricciardo’s bank balance!
The veteran Australian will not be in the 2023 F1 driver line-up after McLaren opted to axe him, and after he chose to take up a third driver role at Red Bull.
Staggeringly, without even driving full-time, Ricciardo is set to earn his biggest-ever pay packet in 2023.
New details have now explained why he might have opted joining another team on a full-time basis.
The terms of his pay-off from McLaren meant the fee was maximised if he did not stay in F1 full-time, according to RacingNews365.
This means that by rejecting Haas’ flirtations to potentially replace Mick Schumacher, Ricciardo pocketed more from McLaren.
This savvy decision freed Ricciardo to take a third driver role at his former team Red Bull where a big part of his responsibility will be US-based ambassadorial events.
He is free to potentially return to the grid full-time in 2024 but, by his own admission, Ricciardo has taken a gamble by stepping away this year.
There is no guarantee that, despite his experience, there will be an attractive route back into an F1 seat next year.
He has, at least, maximised his remarkable earnings from F1 even if he has raced for the final time.
McLaren will pair Lando Norris with rookie Oscar Piastri this season.
