Will the Ricciardo era in Formula 1 soon be a thing of the past?

The enthusiasm of the Australian fans was huge during the Grand Prix in Melbourne recently. At last they could cheer on their local hero Daniel Ricciardo again. With a bit of bad luck, that may have been one of the last times.

Although Ricciardo won at Monza last season, he continues to struggle overall at McLaren. His younger teammate Lando Norris usually outperforms him and results are disappointing. At Imola, the Australian finished eighteenth after colliding with Carlos Sainz on the opening lap. Norris finished this race in third place.

More and more articles are appearing in his native country that Ricciardo's F1 career is in danger. On his blog F1 journalist Joe Saward writes that it is indeed rumored that Ricciardo will be pushed aside by McLaren "in 2024 (if not earlier). Daniel will be replaced by Colton Herta, the American who Zak Brown believes could open the gates of Formula 1 to corporate America."

Ricciardo's contract runs until the end of 2023. Teammate Norris is fixed until the end of 2025. Hertha is currently driving in IndyCar and will do several tests with the McLaren team this year. In principle, Herta will not be in action during Grands Prix weekends.