Steiner: 'Ricciardo can always call if he wants a seat at Haas'

Haas team boss Guenther Steiner is open to Ricciardo joining the team. In an interview with the Associated Press Steiner indicated that Ricciardo can "always call him" if he is interested.

Only two seats remain vacant for next year: one at Haas, next to Kevin Magnussen, and one at Williams, next to Alexander Albon. Both teams are not doing great this year and have to make do with a place at the back of the rankings.

For Daniel Ricciardo, the results from both teams were apparently not good enough, because after the Japan Grand Prix, the Australian announced that he will not return to Formula 1 next year. Ricciardo is leaving McLaren at the end of this year after a disappointing period, and will be replaced by Oscar Piastri. So despite two seats still being available, Ricciardo has decided not to go for either of them.

Steiner does see Ricciardo driving at Haas

For Steiner, however, that doesn't have to be the end of the story. The Haas team boss is still keeping the door open for the Australian to join the American team, after all, he told the Associated Press.

"If he’s interested in us, he’s not shy to call me up. I am not going to chase him down," Steiner said. "I think he’s a good driver and I don’t know how he got in the situation he’s in now, but I think he needs to come clean with himself and decide what he’s going to do. For us, he would be a big hit. He was a race winner and now he is without a job."

Besides Ricciardo, his former teammate Nico Hulkenberg is also often mentioned as a candidate for the seat at Haas. Current Haas driver Mick Schumacher is also still not ruled out, although Steiner has been critical of Schumacher recently.