Daniel Ricciardo says he is committed to Formula 1 and determined to stay with McLaren to the end of his contract next year.
The Australian, 33, is contracted to McLaren until the end of 2023 but has been struggling to match the pace of team-mate Lando Norris this season.
“I’m committed to McLaren until the end of next year and am not walking away from the sport,” he posted on Twitter.
“Appreciate it hasn’t always been easy, but who wants easy?!”
Ricciardo’s future has been the subject of speculation since McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown said last month that his time with the team had not met expectations.
McLaren have been exploring their options in case Ricciardo left the team at the end of the season.
They have considered Williams driver Alex Albon and Alpine reserve Oscar Piastri, and Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel has also been linked to the team.
“I’m working my ass off with the team to make improvements and get the car right and back to the front where it belongs,” added Ricciardo. “I still want this more than ever.”
McLaren is busy creating options for itself in terms of its future driver line-up.
Norris signed for the team until the end of 2025 earlier this season.
But McLaren this week gave IndyCar front-runner Colton Herta a test in a 2021 car at Portimao in Portugal, and is known to be open to the idea of the American switching to F1 if he proves himself capable of the move.
McLaren have also signed IndyCar champion Alex Palou for 2023, but has not said in which category the Spaniard would race.
The constructor has a team in the all-electric Formula E series in addition to F1 and IndyCar, as well as the electric off-road Extreme E category.
Palou’s contract includes some seat time in an F1 test and the 25-year-old said in McLaren’s statement announcing his deal that he was “excited to be able to show what I can do behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car and looking at what doors that may open”.
Like all F1 teams, McLaren are obliged by regulations to run non-regular drivers in two free practice sessions this season. Team principal Andreas Seidl said on Tuesday that this would take place after the August summer break and that plans had not yet been confirmed.
