“I Don’t Really Want a Winter Break”: Daniel Ricciardo Reveals His Motivation to Keep Racing After a Surprise Return to the Grid in 2023

Daniel Ricciardo had an unexpected return to F1 this year after he failed to secure a race seat at the start of the campaign. The Australian only managed to secure a reserve driver role after he parted ways with McLaren at the end of last year following two disappointing campaigns with them. Since the 34-year-old is now back on the grid with AlphaTauri, he recently revealed in an interview how he was looking forward to continuing racing and that he did not even want the winter break.

While speaking in a recent interview (as quoted by racingnews365.nl), Ricciardo said, “I’m just hungry and motivated. This is probably the first time that I don’t really want a winter break. I want to keep racing and stay in the flow a bit. But also the thought of a little break and preparing myself for next year, that also makes me enthusiastic.”

However, it is pertinent to note that Ricciardo did face some setbacks on his return. After competing in a couple of races following his return, the Honey Badger suffered a wrist injury following a nasty crash at Zandvoort.

As a result, he was on the sidelines and missed a few races. Since Ricciardo had ample time away from racing over the course of this season, he is now training harder than ever to produce strong results next season.

Daniel Ricciardo hopes he can continue to impress in 2024

During the same interview, Daniel Ricciardo explained how racing is the priority once again for him. “Now when I’m free with this full calendar, I’m either in the gym or I’m putting my feet up and recovering for the next race“, explained the AlphaTauri driver.

Ricciardo has been training hard to ensure that he does not put his foot off the gas after a few strong results in 2023. The Australian competed in seven races this season and managed to score six points, with a best-place finish of seventh at the Mexico City GP.

Since Ricciardo had such a strong return to the grid, he even earned the praises of his Red Bull bosses. Moreover, since the Honey Badger’s return to form coincided with the struggles of Sergio Perez, there were also rumors that the 34-year-old can replace the Mexican if the latter fails to improve his results.