Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Visa Cash App RB congratulates race winner Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan - Source: Getty
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri's mother Nicole earlier this year recalled the conversation with her son when she realized that he would replace Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren from 2023 onwards. The young Aussie driver surprised everyone when he decided to race for the Woking-based outfit over Alpine as he had been the Academy driver of the French team.
The British team decided against retaining Ricciardo for 2023 and canceled his contract a year earlier to replace him with his fellow compatriot owing to the eight-time race winner's struggles in the car. The announcement was controversial, as Alpine and McLaren went to court over the deal, with the latter emerging victorious.
While appearing on The Red Flag Podcast in 2024, Oscar Piastri's mother Nicole revealed that she was shocked when her son gave the news about his contract and replacing Daniel Ricciardo. She recalled:
