'Ricciardo can earn 93 million at McLaren in two years'

Departure at Renault

Ricciardo ran away from Red Bull Racing at the end of 2018, for several reasons. At Red Bull, it was Max Verstappen who got a hold of the team and with a new multi-year contract for the Dutchman the tone was set within the team. Ricciardo also wanted a bigger contract, but didn't know if he still wanted it at Red Bull.

Ferrari and Mercedes reach out and so Ricciardo gambled by talking to Cyril Abiteboul, but since Ricciardo's arrival in 2019 the team fell back into the rankings, where the way forward had been promised. At McLaren it looks a lot better with Andreas Seidl and James Key, which makes Ricciardo want to make the transition.

Big bonuses

After having spent twenty million a year with Renault for two years, Ricciardo has to give up half at McLaren. According to Marca, Ricciardo will earn ten million a year at the Woking race stable, but there are still a lot of premiums. For example, Ricciardo will get $400,000 for each podium alone.

In the best case Ricciardo can still earn 93 million over his two years at McLaren, but victories and podiums will probably not be the order of the day in 2021. Ricciardo is making some sacrifices, but at the time of the coronavirus Ricciardo can still be happy with such a large contract, which will not be given to a second driver at Red Bull.