Following his exit from McLaren in 2022, Daniel Ricciardo declined offers from backmarkers such as the Haas, insisting that he would not want to battle outside the top 10. However, after his AlphaTauri stint, the Honey Badger reflected on his previous words and said he was wrong.
Speaking about this, Ricciardo said in a report published by Motorsport, “I think I’ve reached a point where I’m totally happy and comfortable driving for the tenth team on the grid. Whereas last year when I said I didn’t want to get back in the car if we were fighting at the back.”
He added, “Ninth made sense to me do it. But little by little it started to make more and more sense.”
After Ricciardo failed to find a place in any top teams in 2023, backmarkers reportedly approached the honey badger, which the driver then declined. However, now, looking back at those days, he believes he was wrong.
Admittedly, the 2023 F1 season didn’t go too well for the 34-year-old. Firstly he did not get to race the entire season, and on top of that, he was sidelined with injury that he picked up on his wrist in Zandvoort. Nevertheless, the 2024 F1 season could be full of surprises for him.
Can Daniel Ricciardo earn his berth in Red Bull?
The 2024 F1 season is Sergio Perez’s last in the team unless both parties decide to extend the partnership. Hence, there is a chance that the Red Bull seat goes to Daniel Ricciardo if Perez fails to live up to his expectations.
Even though there were talks about Ricciardo replacing Perez to race alongside Max Verstappen in 2024, that move didn’t materialize. However, the eight-time GP winner also needs to make sure that he excels in AlphaTauri.
The Perth-born driver would love to return to Red Bull, especially considering how strong the team has become. Moreover, driving an RB-20 means fighting for big points and top positions, something Ricciardo loves in abundance.
Therefore, if Red Bull decided to replace Sergio Perez with Daniel Ricciardo, the 2016-2018 dynamic between Verstappen and Ricciardo might just return. However, this time, it could be tougher for the Honey Badger to get the better of the three-time world champion.
