Daniel Ricciardo got his first taste of Formula 1 when he tested for Red Bull Racing at the Circuito de Jerez in December 2009. Since then, he has raced for Hispania Racing (HRT), Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault, and McLaren.
The Australian, however, will not be on the grid for the 2023 F1 season after parting ways with McLaren last year. Instead, he has moved back to Red Bull to be their reserve and simulator driver.
He was linked with a host of teams on the grid before deciding to take a season’s break from professional racing and return to Red Bull. While there was concrete interest from Haas, Ricciardo decided against the move.
On a recent episode of the Beyond The Grid podcast, Daniel Ricciardo explained his decision by saying:
“There was a couple of times where [Ferrari] what linked. But, I think coming back to a seat next year as Guenther [Steiner] said, he reached out and stuff.”
He added:
“The more… days that passed and, especially as I did the triple-header to get back into the second half of the season – so three days on the bounce – it became more and more clear that it wasn’t about what phone call I was receiving; it was about me acknowledging that I just ultimately don’t want to be competing next year.”
Daniel Ricciardo is glad that none of the ‘bigger’ teams reached out to him as he’d have gone against his instincts and signed for them. He said:
“So, in a way I am glad that, let’s say, a top team didn’t reach out, because it’s one of those ones where you probably feel, ‘Oh, I’ve got to sign it’, but I think deep down I was just craving a bit of distance.”
Daniel Ricciardo believes a season on the sidelines was needed to address “some burnout”
Red Bull Racing will head into the 2023 Formula 1 season hoping to take home a second-straight constructors’ championship title and help Max Verstappen to a third consecutive drivers’ title, with Sergio Perez ably supporting him as a teammate.
Daniel Ricciardo is expected to support them in a third driver role, with no promises of race time agreed beforehand. The Australian believes that he’ll benefit a lot more from being on the sidelines next season than being on the F1 grid. He said:
“Yeah, you could call it some burnout. But I’m not afraid to admit that or say that, and it’s one of those ones where, you know, everyone will have an opinion and this and that, but it’s ultimately that I know what I feel, I know what I want. It was some of that.”
Daniel Ricciardo added:
“And I feel very… I don’t want to say that I’m the only driver that feels this way, but I would say that I’m not the normal sportsman where I kind of just use ‘practice makes perfect’ . The more I do sometimes, the more I’m just like getting kind of lost in it, where I kind of feel like the power of a break for me, some time off, I could come back better. I know for me that could actually be really good.”Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko 
“Daniel Ricciardo wasn’t signed to put Sergio Perez under pressure”
#F1
Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko
“Daniel Ricciardo wasn’t signed to put Sergio Perez under pressure”#F1 https://t.co/ZasiUeiCe8
quick links
More from Sportskeeda
