Daniel Ricciardo is enjoying his break from racing in F1. The Australian driver has taken the role of Reserve driver with his former team Red Bull. The 8 time GP winner returns after serving 2 stints in Renault and McLaren.
His stint with McLaren can be best described as a rollercoaster ride. The honey badger claimed his last race win with the Britsh team. However, he vastly underperformed Lando Norris and was dropped from the racing seat at the end of the 2022 season.
The 2 years at McLaren took a toll on his mental health. Ricciardo claims the break from racing has helped rejuvenate him and reinstate his passion for motorsports and racing.
🗣️ | Ricciardo has said that he used to believe he was the best driver in the world before his McLaren stint
“For many years, I truly believed I was the best, and I am the best in the world, so whatever the situation, I’ll be able to overcome it.” pic.twitter.com/D1sJnWP420
— RBR Daily (@RedBullUpdates) April 11, 2023
Meanwhile, Red Bull has given a warm welcome to their former star. The Aussie too enjoyed the return back to Milton Keynes where he has relived some old memories with familiar faces.
Ricciardo explains his first day in the Red Bull Sim
A major part of Daniel Ricciardo’s duties will be to work in the simulator and appear in marketing runs. Ricciardo will be asked to do test runs in the Red Bull simulator in the UK and provide the team with vital data for the main race.
The Aussie returned to the Red Bull facility in January after celebrating Christmas with his family. After a long break from racing, the 33-year-old loved going back to racing and enjoyed his first session in the sim.
Ricciardo recalled, “It was the most fun simulator session I’ve ever had. I hadn’t driven really in close to three months, so returning to the sim was all new and exciting.”
The driver was also reunited with his former Red Bull race engineer Simon Rennie. Rennie currently heads the simulation engineering department of the team.
The Aussie added, “I was back in an environment which has got a lot of fond memories from. I felt it in the room. Simon, who was my engineer back in the day, was running the session with me. It was a good day.”
Ricciardo rebuilding confidence lost after McLaren spell
It seems Daniel Ricciardo thoroughly loved his return back to the simulator. The honey badger never felt like getting up despite setting enough laps on his first day in the office. The Aussie claimed it felt different returning back to the rig after racing for so many years.
He shared, “ As I got older, I became more focused on racing and less concerned with doing a test or anything else. You know, the real fun was in racing.”
Ricciardo claimed his morale took a big hit after his failed 2 -year stint at McLaren. However, the familiar environment and break from racing are helping the driver rebuild his confidence.
Slick Ric has got a new lid 🇦🇺 @DanielRicciardo 😎 pic.twitter.com/LkQwZMb6An
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) March 28, 2023
He added, “Enjoy the simulator like that meant that it was good to miss it for a little while. Being back there is better than I had expected.”
Team principal Christian Horner too claimed the 33-year-old’s return to his former team has had a positive impact. Horner claims the old employees at Red Bull were glad to have Ricciardo’s charisma and positive energy amongst them.
The team boss said the Aussie has been making good progress in the sim so far. Although Ricciardo has enjoyed his homecoming, the driver remains determined on returning to the F1 grid for 2024.
