Daniel Ricciardo feels that racing outside of F1 in 2023 will close all doors for a potential return to the sport in 2024.
2022 has been a very difficult year for Daniel Ricciardo. The Aussie moved to McLaren in 2021, and his career has gone downhill ever since. Besides his Italian GP win last year, he hasn’t had any memorable moments with the Surrey-based outfit and has been comprehensively outperformed by teammate Lando Norris.
McLaren decided to pull the plug early, and will part ways with Ricciardo at the end of 2022. Even though he had a year left on his contract, this decision was made. Ricciardo’s young compatriot Oscar Piastri will replace him at McLaren.
For Ricciardo, his 2023 plans are up in the air. As of now, he’s not close to joining any team in F1, and he has insisted that he won’t drive for a team that’s not competitive.
There were also rumours of the honey badger exploring other racing ventures like NASCAR, but after his recent interview, that seems unlikely.
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Racing outside F1 will hurt image, says Daniel Ricciardo
In the two-week break leading up to the Singapore GP, Ricciardo went home to Australia. He spent time on his farm, with his bikes, and taking time to think about his future. When he finally returned to the paddock in Singapore, the 33-year-old admitted that he has more ‘clarity’ about the same.
Ricciardo feels that he can either drive for the F1 team at the back of the grid or take a complete off-year and hope for a 2024 return. He ruled out moving to other racing series because it will affect his image.
“I love other motorsport disciplines, but I don’t see myself there,” the former Red Bull driver said. “I feel as well. I jump into something like that, and then it closes the door in F1. It kind of feels like I’ve checked out, and I haven’t.
“I’m still very much driven towards remaining here, so I don’t want the view to be ‘ah he’s focused on other things’. I think, for people to see me do something else and be like ‘that’s now where his head’s at. He’s not coming back’. So yeah. I’m solely focused on F1.”
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