Daniel Ricciardo went through a rollercoaster of emotions in the 2023 F1 season. He began his season only as a reserve driver before getting a drive with AlphaTauri in the second part of the campaign. Following an intense season, Ricciardo has now explained how he has had a change in perspective when it comes to achieving his dream of becoming a world champion.
Looking forward to returning home https://t.co/cT3yFUXBhz
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) November 23, 2022
Speaking about this, the Australian driver on the Beyond the Grid podcast, “I mean I hope to be a better racing driver, that’s what I’m working on. Do I still want to be a world champion? Yes. Has it been a dream of mine since I was a kid? Yes.”
With this, Ricciardo further added that even if he becomes a world champion, nothing is going to change in his life. To put things into perspective, he provided the example of three-time world champion Max Verstappen.
The 34-year-old reveals how the Dutchman still wakes up to be the same person despite all his success. Therefore, even if Ricciardo becomes a world champion in the future, it will not alter the course of his life.
Daniel Ricciardo continues to be optimistic about his future
In an interview with The Athletic earlier this year, Daniel Ricciardo revealed how he is aware “deep down” that he is “not done” yet. The 34-year-old is keen to showcase that he still has got what it takes to win by rising through the ranks again, just like he did several years ago.
feeling so much love from the Japanese fans ♥️#HondaThanksDay pic.twitter.com/is9fGIDxCd
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) December 3, 2023
He made his debut for Red Bull in 2014 and outscored four-time world champion teammate Sebastian Vettel in their very first season as teammates. Ricciardo finished third in the season that year with 238 points, while Vettel just managed 167.
While the Australian has still not accomplished his dream of winning a championship, he is confident that he still has a chance to do so. This is because he has always considered himself as “good, if not better, than everyone else“.
However, following his struggles at McLaren in the past two seasons, he has seemingly fallen down the pecking order. As a result, Ricciardo needs to ensure that he can impress the team bosses by performing with AlphaTauri next season to have a chance of driving at one of the top sides.
