Daniel Ricciardo revealed that talks are ongoing for a possible reserve driver role in 2023 as he prepares for a full-fledged return in 2024.
Daniel Ricciardo, who has won 8 GPs in his F1 career so far, has now revealed that the Australian is in talks to land a potential reserve driver role in 2023.
On Saturday in Austin, words around the paddock suggested that the Honey badger has agreed on a new reserve driver deal with his old employer Red Bull.
However, the 33-year-old has clarified that so far he does not have a deal in place and he is working on a possibility.
Earlier this season, at the Japanese GP, the McLaren driver admitted that he won’t be racing on the grid next season but he doesn’t yet want to part ways from the sport.
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What are the possible choices for Daniel Ricciardo?
After agreeing to terminate his contract that was valid till 2023 with the Woking-based team, Ricciardo has been looming around the paddock in search of a seat.
With opportunities coming to an end as the season reaches the final stages the Honey badger is now looking for a role as a reserve driver.
With both Alpine and McLaren already rejecting Ricciardo’s services, it looks like the Big 3 teams are the only available options.
However, a move inside the Red Bull stable seems surprising as the Australian won’t have a chance to run the races before 2025 given Sergio Perez agreed on a deal earlier this year.
Ferrari and Mercedes could also offer a role to the Australian but only latter has a possibility of promoting Ricciardo in 2024 only if Lewis Hamilton doesn’t renew his contract which seems highly unlikely.
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Honey-badger rules out a move to other categories
Ricciardo has repeatedly iterated his willingness to stay in F1 and make a comeback when he gets a stronger car to win.
However, he knows that nothing is guaranteed for 2024 and therefore he is putting in the work to still be around in F1.
Nevertheless, Ricciardo has completely ruled out participation in any other series such as IndyCar because he does not want to race on ovals.
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