“Happy to Have Some Time Off”: Daniel Ricciardo Admits He’s at Peace With Not Racing in F1

Daniel Ricciardo did not have a pleasant stint at McLaren, a team he joined in 2021. When he made the move to Surrey, huge things were expected from the partnership but it ended up being terminated prematurely due to the honey badger’s poor performance. After not being able to land a seat for 2023, Ricciardo decided to join Red Bull.

Red Bull was the team where Ricciardo tasted the most success. He won seven races with the Milton-Keynes-based outfit, and it was with them, that he achieved his star status in F1. With things not going right for him elsewhere, Ricciardo felt that moving back to Red Bull would be nice for him.

He’s back! Welcome home, @DanielRicciardo 🇦🇺 #DR3ack pic.twitter.com/LlA4OX6Oab

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) November 23, 2022

Ricciardo won’t be a full-time driver for the Austrian team. Instead, he will act as a third driver behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez and will be on standby for tests and other duties. However, fans are concerned after listening to what Ricciardo said during the Red Bull launch event in New York earlier this month.

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Daniel Ricciardo not hungry for F1 success at the moment

Ricciardo is one of the most jovial figures off the F1 track, but on it he was always seen as a fierce competitor. However, it seems like losing his McLaren seat after two horrendous years has taken some of the hunger out of him. During the car launch event for Red Bull, Ricciardo admitted that he’s happy to not be a full-time competitor next year.

✍️Leave the shoe testing to @danielricciardo pic.twitter.com/DF8X7GciwF

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) February 5, 2023

The Perth-born driver did say he will be more than happy to suit up for a test session. This is because he wants to stay in touch with the sport and stay race fit, in case he needs to fill in for Verstappen or Perez. On the other hand, not being the main man at a team does not bother him much any more.

“I’m sure I’ll put my hand up,” he said as quoted by The Race. “But I’m not kind of foaming at the mouth yet. Still happy to ease into 2023.”

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Why are Ricciardo’s comments worrying?

When Ricciardo lost his seat in F1 last year, the majority of the F1 community was upset. His story since leaving Red Bull in 2019 has been all about ‘what could have been’ had he stayed behind in Milton-Keynes. His Renault stint was underwhelming but his McLaren stint was painful to watch.

It seems that spending those two years at McLaren and then being unceremoniously sacked did not do good to his dreams and ambitions of succeeding in F1. This is why the 33-year-old is happy to be on the sidelines for 2023.

However, a driver of Ricciardo’s caliber being okay with watching an F1 race from the paddock does not sit right for many. As a result, fans are worried and want him to regain his motivation to fight his way into the grid once again.