Daniel Ricciardo Opens Up On F1 Return: "Was Going To Be A Risk Removing Myself"

Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo insists he remains unphased by the limited available seats for the 2024 season.

It was announced during the 2022 season that McLaren and Ricciardo were parting ways at the end of the year and as time went on it became increasingly clear that the eight-time grand prix winner was struggling to secure a full-time seat for 2023.

Red Bull later confirmed that they had signed Ricciardo as their third driver for 2023, and although he fits into the role with his hilarious sense of humour and personality for PR duties, he is keen to return to the grid in a permanent seat.

Ricciardo has recently explained that he will only be looking for a competitive seat for 2024, but there are currently no openings at Red Bull and Ferrari, and it is looking the same way for Mercedes. During an interview with Top Gear, Ricciardo explained that the lack of availability doesn't scare him. He said:

“It doesn’t scare me.

“It’s always been like that. And I knew this was going to be a risk obviously removing myself from a seat.

“But I think it’s clear what I don’t want. I don’t want [just] any seat next year, as much as I think I want to be racing again.

“I don’t want to just start from zero, and kind of build my [F1] career from scratch. It’s not coming from an arrogant place. But I’m just past that.

“I don’t think that’s going to stimulate me or give me that second wind I’m looking for. So it makes the top seats even scarcer.

“But that’s where I know I will be able to perform at my best and thrive. That’s the sort of stuff I’m keeping my eyes on.”

Ricciardo continued:

“The first day back at Red Bull in the simulator was the most fun I’ve ever had driving a simulator, which is crazy, especially because at this point in my career that’s normally the boring work.

“But Simon [Rennie] my engineer at the time at Red Bull, he’s running the sim now. So it was like we were back in the routine of 2018 and mate, I loved it.

“It took me a few laps to get going and once I did it all felt familiar again. I would honestly say in a day my confidence went from being probably pretty low to back at the levels I remember being at.

“It was a good day. And I think just having that time off [also] just gave me a chance to, in a way, forget a little bit of the last two years. Just go in there with a fresh mind.