Facing a threat of favouritism for Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull in 2019. However, the 8-time GP winner could not find his winning form with Renault and McLaren. The public opinion remains the same: leaving Red Bull at its prime was a big mistake.
With McLaren, the Australian racer achieved his last F1 victory. Although, that was it. Something didn’t quite click with the car and the team and after a disastrous 2022 season, Ricciardo was ousted by his team for rookie Oscar Piastri.
The exit from McLaren hurt the driver’s confidence and left him without a racing seat for the 2023 season. Nevertheless, the driver holds no regrets for daring to leave Red Bull in the first place.
Daniel Ricciardo does not regret leaving Red Bull
5 years after leaving Red Bull, Daniel Ricciardo finds himself back with his old team as a reserve driver. The Australian revealed in the ‘Pardon My Take’ podcast that he feels at home at Milton Keynes. He is also slowly regaining his lost confidence while driving on the Red Bull sim.
Ricciardo has no remorse. Although he was never able to showcase his talents with Renault or McLaren, the driver believes they were a crucial part of his learning curve.
The driver stated, “I’m at this point where I see everything happens for a reason. The last few years were not all bad, but they made me see things from a different perspective.”
He continued, “I’ve made a full circle to Red Bull. Even though I don’t have a race seat, I know that this is the family. This is where I’m happy to come home to and where I belong.”
The driver also claims not racing in the 2023 grid has improved his mental well-being. Especially after the turmoil he faced at McLaren. But, the driver targets a comeback in the following season, albeit with or without Red Bull.
Will Ricciardo get a racing seat with Red Bull?
Daniel Ricciardo is keen on making his F1 comeback. However, the is little to no chance for the driver to become one of Red Bull’s main drivers this season. His best bet would be to turn to some other team.
As Red Bull’s 3rd driver, Ricciardo is a regular on Red Bull’s simulator. However, Helmut Marko stated in an Interview with Formel1, the Aussie is not on the same level as Red Bull’s regular driver Sergio Perez
The Red Bull advisor feels the Australian driver is “not at their level” based on the sim runs. Marko did not disclose the details of their test, but the Austrian blames his past stints at McLaren and Renault for spoiling his performance.
The Austrian said, “Something must have happened in him that slowed him down in his competitiveness.” He has also ruled out any possibility of Ricciardo replacing Nyck De Vries at Red Bull’s sister team, AlphaTauri
The Milton Keynes outfit will not replace either of their permanent drivers with the Aussie, who has lost touch with the car. Verstappen and Perez also share a good dynamic, hence Ricciardo replacing them seems unlikely.
The driver said he will be discussing 2024 opportunities over the summer break. With the lack of racing seats available, the opportunity for the driver to break into a good team remains bleak.
