Daniel Ricciardo has recently opened up on his life out of the F1 paddock. The Australian who is known for his signature broad smile has revealed that he’s definitely missing out on track action but also hinted at a sensational return.
According to the report published by Red Bull in The Red Bulletin, Ricciardo said, “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. I watched the first couple of races on the couch and that was . . . interesting!” He then stated that the urge to make a comeback “heightened” when he traveled with the team to Australia, his home race.
Being around it, smelling the race, and hearing the sound made him realize that he doesn’t “feel done.” The Honey Badger lost his F1 seat last year after two bitter-sweet years with McLaren.
Following the loss of his seat to his compatriot Oscar Piastri, Ricciardo returned to the team he calls ‘home.’ The 33-year-old joined Red Bull as their reserve and third driver behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Ricciardo disclosed if he’ll be back
The former McLaren driver revealed if he’ll be back on the grid next year. With the Red Bull seats not likely to be available until 2025, the Honey Badger will have to look elsewhere for the chance.
Talking about it, the 33-year-old shared, “Of course, I don’t have a crystal ball, and I can’t guarantee that I’ll be racing next year.” Despite this, the Red Bull star stated that there’s still fire in him to bring him back to the grid.
The former Renault star added that it’s good for him at the moment as he’s still figuring it all out. For the time being it all started to make sense to him and he’s really looking forward to what comes next.
The Honey Badger warned Red Bull
As the Australian driver is spending life outside of the sport, he recently stated that he wouldn’t like to be in this position for a long time. The Honey Badger is spending his time away from the paddock after joining the Woking-based team.
As per reports, the 33-year-old has given Red Bull an ultimatum. He said, “It’s a matter of time till I’m no longer good with it.” For a driver who’s sidelined for the first time in his career since his debut, things seem to be quite tough for him.
All in all, it’ll be interesting to see if Daniel Ricciardo finds a team to return to the F1 paddock in 2024. It’ll also be interesting to find out if the team is a backmarker or a mid-tabled one.
