Ricciardo wants to cash in: this is the price for buying out his contract

For McLaren, the summer break is marked by a lot of legal wrangling. Of course there is the battle with Alpine over Oscar Piastri, but the English team also has to get rid of Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian has an ongoing contract that only he himself could terminate.

According to the Australian Speedcafe.com Ricciardo wants to receive the top price if McLaren wants to get rid of him. The medium relies on multiple sources and states that Ricciardo wants a fee of over 14 million euros as compensation. It should be noted that this amount may well go down if McLaren and Ricciardo actually start negotiating.

Payback

Ricciardo would reportedly agree to pay back the salary he earns elsewhere next season on a pro rata basis. So imagine: the veteran joins Alpine for 10 million euros. Then it becomes 14 million minus the 10 million, and McLaren pays 4 million euros. But if Ricciardo does not get an F1 seat, then the full 14 million remain in his bank account.

Before Ricciardo is really waved, it seems logical that McLaren first secures Piastri as their new driver. Also this legal battle with Alpine will probably cost a lot of money. Buying out Piastri's contract would cost at least 10 million euros. All in all, there might be a driver change for a total of 24 million euros!