'Ricciardo has until September to say whether he will stay'

Problems at Alpine

The Formula One silly season has really begun after Sebastian Vettel's announcement on Thursday before the Hungarian Grand Prix. The German announced his retirement in an Instagram video and thus began the seat race for 2023. Since then Fernando Alonso has announced his move to Aston Martin, after which it seemed a matter of time until Piastri was confirmed at Alpine.

That confirmation came from Alpine on Tuesday evening, but apparently without the consent of Piastri himself. He responded to Alpine by saying that he has not signed anything and will not drive for the French team. Since then, everything indicates that Piastri has already signed a deal somewhere else, probably at McLaren.

Situation of Ricciardo at McLaren

McLaren has Lando Norris and Ricciardo under contract for 2023, but the Australian is still not meeting the British team's expectations after a year and a half. Ricciardo is said to have a clause in his contract allowing him to leave McLaren early.

According to usually well-informed journalist from Associated Press Jenna Fryer Ricciardo has until September to indicate whether or not he will stay at McLaren. If he does leave the team, this clears the way for the arrival of Piastri.

Should Ricciardo leave, there is a chance he could return to Alpine. The Aussie drove for the Enstone-based team in 2019 and 2020 when it was still going through life as Renault. Otmar Szafnauer expressed interest in Ricciardo's services earlier on Wednesday.