Daniel Ricciardo has confirmed he is leaving McLaren at the end of this season, one year before his original contract expires.

The Australian has won one race for McLaren — in Monza last year as he led home a one-two — but has largely struggled to match teammate Lando Norris and is currently 12th in the championship with 19 points, 57 adrift of Norris. McLaren dropped behind Alpine in the constructors’ championship in recent races as speculation regarding Ricciardo’s future grew, and with McLaren believing it has a contract with Oscar Piastri in place, an agreement to terminate Ricciardo’s deal early has been reached.

“It’s been a privilege to be a part of the McLaren Racing family for the last two seasons but following several months of discussions with Zak [Brown] and Andreas [Seidl], we have decided to terminate my contract with the team early and agree to mutually part ways at the end of this season,” Ricciardo said.

“I’ll be announcing my own future plans in due course but regardless of what this next chapter brings, I have no regrets and am proud of the effort and work I gave McLaren, especially the win in Monza, last season. I’ve enjoyed working with everyone at McLaren both trackside and back in Woking and will be giving my all on and off track as we enjoy the remainder of the season together.

“I’ve never been more motivated to compete and be a part of a sport that I love so much and look forward to what comes next.”

Ricciardo is believed to be targeting a return to Alpine — the team he left at the end of 2020 to join McLaren — but will have to wait for Piastri’s situation to be resolved first. If not, then Haas could be a possible destination for the 33-year-old if he stays in F1.