McLaren CEO Zak Brown expressed his pleasure at signing Daniel Ricciardo for the 2021 season, describing the move as a ‘step forward’ in the team’s long-term plans.
On Thursday it was announced the Australian driver would move to the Woking-based team for the following season on a multi-year deal after the departure of Ferrari-bound Carlos Sainz.
Ricciardo will arrive at McLaren with seven race wins and almost 10 years of experience racing in Formula 1, following prior spells at HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull and Renault.
The British team is in the midst of a lengthy recovery after a long run of difficult results since it had a disappointing reunification with Honda power in 2015.
McLaren made gains to classify fourth in last year’s standings, returning to the podium for the first time since 2014, and reached an agreement to return to Mercedes power from 2021.
“Signing Daniel is another step forward in our long-term plan and will bring an exciting new dimension to the team, alongside Lando,” said Brown.
“This is good news for our team, partners and of course our fans.”
Ricciardo, ahead of his switch to McLaren, paid tribute to current team Renault.
“I am so grateful for my time with Renault F1 Team and the way I was accepted into the team,” he posted on social media.
“But we aren’t done and I can’t wait to get back on the grid this year. My next chapter isn’t here yet, so let’s finish this one strong. Merci.”
