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Speaking with RaceFans ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Ricciardo opened up about his future
The success of the Netflix series Drive to Survive helped introduce Formula 1 to new fans worldwide, and propelled Daniel Ricciardo into worldwide superstardom. The first season of the series focused in large part on Ricciardo, who was then driving for Red Bull, and his decision to eventually leave the team for Renault at the end of the 2018 campaign.
Fast-forward to 2022, and Ricciardo was struggling with McLaren, and eventually found himself without a seat for the 2023 season. He made the decision to return to Red Bull, this time as a reserve driver, for the current campaign.
But over the past few months, Ricciardo has seemingly rekindled his love for the sport. Ricciardo sat down with Claire Cottingham of RaceFans ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, and talked about his reignited passion for driving, and how his story is not yet finished.
“I think I just wasn’t feeling right. I was honestly just not like my happy self, not my normal self. I think as well so much was going on last year, I could feel like I had this kind of nervous energy inside me,” said Ricciardo of his final season with McLaren. “I didn’t have an appetite as much. I was just a bit scattered. So yeah, there was certainly like some of that. So I was a little thin.”
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner told the media ahead of the Australian Grand Prix that the team almost did not recognize Ricciardo when he made his return.
“I’d say it’s about 10 minutes away from being ready [to drive again]. He’s in good shape,” said Horner. “He came back looking a bit skinny but he’s looking healthier now, and I think that he’s training hard and he’s ready to go given the chance.”
The time with Red Bull has put Ricciardo in a position where he knows what he wants to do going forward.
“It’s put me in a really good place where, so far, I’m getting exactly what I wanted out of this year,” he told RaceFans. “I’m getting enough of a break where I feel certainly refreshed and happy again. But it’s kind of also reminded of me how cool this environment was and what it’s like to be in a place that I feel I can hopefully get back to a podium.”
Getting back in the simulator with Red Bull allowed Ricciardo to realize that he was suffering from a lack of confidence.
“I think that it was when I was there that first day that I realised I’d lost some confidence in myself,” he shared with RaceFans. “I know last year my results weren’t good, so of course I’m like, ‘yeah, I’m probably not as confident as I could be’. But you’re so in it that you don’t really realise truly how you are or how you’re viewing yourself. When I got to their sim, I felt a bit nervous. So it made me realise that it had taken a hit on my confidence.”
“But then, on the flip side, the second half of the day then went really well. Now I feel like it’s been like I never left,” Ricciardo added. “And that’s really nice. I’ve got Simon [Rennie] who was my engineer – he runs the sim. So we’re at a really good place now.”
Ricciardo’s discussion with RaceFans comes as there has been building speculation about his future over the past few weeks. Ricciardo was linked with AlphaTauri in recent weeks, as Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko gave rookie Nyck de Vries the “yellow card” about his performance with AlphaTauri.
While Marko dismissed the Ricciardo link, indicating that if such a move were made they would look to younger drivers such as Liam Lawson or Ayumu Iwasa, Ricciardo does believe a return to the grid is in his future, if possible. “I’m very open-minded and I appreciate that, as good as I feel right now, I’m not going to have every option available – I might not even have an option available,” he told RaceFans. “Obviously, I hope I do, but I don’t want to be too narrow-minded, because maybe those options aren’t there.”
“But in saying that, as I want to be back, I don’t want to be back at all costs. I don’t want to just be on the grid to be on the grid. I don’t want to be with a team that I don’t feel like I can get the car into a good position,” added Ricciardo. “I definitely want to be in a place where I feel I can thrive, but also if I can’t get straight to the top, I want to try to be in a place that could get me back to the top.”
A man who could play a role in such a move, Horner, discussed Ricciardo’s future recently on an episode of NPR’s “It’s Been a Minute” podcast. Speaking with host Brittany Luse, Horner addressed the topic of Riccardo’s future in the sport.
“Well, we brought him back because I felt that, you know, Daniel wasn’t done with Formula 1. And to see him just whimper out of the sport wouldn’t have been right. So I think he fell out of love with Formula 1 over the last couple of years. And the – certainly, the Daniel that came back at the end of last year wasn’t one that we recognize, you know, the big smile and the big personality,” said Horner.
“And I think he’s gradually refinding his love for the sport. He’s finding his passion for driving again,” Horner added. “And we’ll see where that – what opportunities that presents for him. But I think the first thing for him is to rediscover his mojo, his passion for the sport and his inner dog. So we’re going to give him a test in a few weeks’ time and see – you know, see what he does.”
(As an aside, also check out the awesome segment on the podcast featuring Izzie Ramirez, the Deputy Editor of Future Perfect here at Vox, and an avid F1 expert).
As for Ricciardo, while he wants to return to the grid, and concedes that there might not be a ton of options for him, he believes that his story is not finished.
“I think as well there’s a part of me – and this might sound like ego, but it’s certainly not – I don’t want my book to close that way,” he told RaceFans. “I don’t really care too much about legacy, but I feel like it’s not the way that I should go out and I feel like I can still give more. So if I get the right opportunity, of course I would love to do that.”
Millions of fans worldwide would love to see that too.
