After sitting on the sidelines for 8 months with Red Bull, Daniel Ricciardo finally got a chance to prove himself once again by driving for AlphaTauri. While he anxiously waited for the role, Ricciardo reveals he wouldn’t have taken up the offer, if it came sooner, as reported by SpeedCafe.
“If I didn’t race at all this year, if I had a whole 12 months off, I think that would have been no problem. Because the power of time off, for me, what just really, really beneficial and it gave me so much.”
Making a strong comeback with AlphaTauri, Ricciardo showcased his driving prowess, which impressed experts and fans alike. Speculations have even begun of the Australian potentially replacing Sergio Perez to retake his Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen.
Despite out-qualifying Perez during the Mexico City GP, Ricciardo claims he would have had no regrets if he did not get an opportunity to drive this season. He reasoned that the break gave him some much-needed time to recuperate after a tough phase with McLaren.
Daniel Ricciardo believes balance is all-important
Despite desperately wanting to return to F1, the Honey Badger believes some ‘fun’ time off was extremely necessary for him. His main objective was to get back to his normal self. Coming back to his old team helped him achieve that balance.
Having stepped away from Red Bull after 2018, Ricciardo made a full-circle recovery as he came back to the team he loves, but this time as their third driver.
The 8-time F1 winner went his separate way from Red Bull to find success on his own, as rumors grew of him not being able to keep up with Verstappen. However, things did not go the way he would’ve expected.
Despite winning a Grand Prix with McLaren, there weren’t many positives Ricciardo could take away from his stints with either Renault or McLaren. A series of crashes and underwhelming performances clouded his time with both teams.
While the ever-so-charming smile never left the face of Ricciardo, it started feeling very forced. Relative to his McLaren stint, the Aussie seems happier in 2023. Thus, all is well within the paddock as Danny Ric seems to have found back his mojo.
