Daniel Ricciardo's underwhelming time at McLaren will end after the 2022 Formula One season and a year before the Australian's contract had been due to expire.
Ricciardo, 33, joined from Renault at the end of 2020 but, despite winning last year's Italian Grand Prix at Monza, he has struggled to match teammate Lando Norris's performance.
Sharing the news with his 7.3 million followers on Instagram ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix which ends the sport's August break, Ricciardo said the development was "bittersweet".
"We put in a lot of effort on both sides but it just hasn't worked the way we wanted, so the team's decided to make a change for next year," said the 33-year-old.
"We had a lot of discussions but in the end we mutually agreed it was the right thing for both of us.
"I will continue to do the rest of this year, absolutely, and continue to give it my all ... What lies ahead, I'm not sure yet."
McLaren would not comment on Ricciardo's replacement, an unsurprising stance if Oscar Piastri's case ends up in the law courts, and gave no details of the financial cost of terminating the contract.
That could amount to many millions, depending on Ricciardo's next move. Several other teams also have drivers out of contract at the end of the year.
This season Ricciardo has scored a mere 19 points, with a highest position of sixth, compared to Norris's 76 from 13 races and a third place at Imola.
Reuters
