Minichamps 1:43 McLaren MCL36 – Daniel Ricciardo, Abu Dhabi GP 2022 Art. 537226503

A 1:43 model of the McLaren MCL36 as raced by Daniel Ricciardo at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — his last race for McLaren. Limited to 240 pieces worldwide. Resin, papaya orange with VUSE branding, on a display base with a clear case.

McLaren paid him to leave a year early

Ricciardo had signed a three-year contract for 2021, 2022 and 2023. In August 2022 the team announced a mutual termination with a season still to run.

Mutual is the polite word. McLaren wanted Oscar Piastri, had already agreed terms with him, and needed the seat. Ricciardo had a contract and no obligation to give it up. The settlement that resolved this was reported at the time to run well into eight figures — one of the largest driver payouts the sport has seen.

It is a useful illustration of how these things actually work. A Formula One contract is a commercial instrument, and a team that changes its mind buys its way out. What made this one expensive was that Ricciardo was not in a hurry: he had no other seat to go to, and every month he waited increased the price.

The underlying problem was straightforward. He had come from Renault as a seven-time Grand Prix winner and the established benchmark, and was beaten by Lando Norris in both full seasons — by 45 points in 2021 and 85 in 2022.

He did win once for McLaren, at Monza in 2021, which nobody saw coming and which remains the team's most improbable result of the era.

In the range

Set 537226504 is Norris's car from the same race, and 417231203 is the AlphaTauri Ricciardo returned in eight months later.

Specifications

Scale: 1:43 · Limited to 240 pieces worldwide · Resin · Display base, clear case, official McLaren packaging
Model length: approx. 10 cm