Daniel Ricciardo unexpectedly made a comeback to F1 in October of last year following an eight-month hiatus from the sport. However, the 34-year-old driver was a reserve for Red Bull during this hiatus but came back to drive for AlphaTauri. Nevertheless, upon his return, Ricciardo initially struggled to meet the team’s stringent standards, especially in simulation work.
Following this, Christian Horner hinted that the habits Ricciardo picked up in McLaren affected his performance. In light of these circumstances, Ricciardo recently discussed his initial sense of detachment during the period between leaving McLaren and planning his comeback.
During a recent appearance on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Ricciardo faced a range of questions, one of which delved into his feelings during the F1 preseason testing. In his trademark flamboyant style, Ricciardo initially stated that he didn’t miss preseason testing, citing his lack of enjoyment in the process.
However adding to the surprise, Ricciardo disclosed that, he even didn’t experience the typical fear of missing out or a strong desire to return to F1 during this time. Surprisingly, he openly acknowledged that he was uncertain about tuning in to watch the races while enjoying his time at home.
Taking this into account, the honey badger remarked, “Over Christmas when I’m home and on my farm and riding dirt bikes and hanging out with my mates, I did not expect I was like I don’t even know if I watched the first race, like I just whatever. ”
However, in his closing remarks, Ricciardo hinted that his defensive mechanism and F1’s possible lack of relevance at the time might account for his lack of enthusiasm. He said, ” I don’t know if you call it a defense mechanism or something, but I wasn’t gonna be surprised if I didn’t care about it too much.”
What does Red Bull have in store for Daniel Ricciardo going forward?
Daniel Ricciardo made a fantastic return to F1 racing, but he shone his real skills only at the Mexico City GP. Ricciardo’s seventh-place finish in Mexico represented his first points since his homecoming.
Remarkably, Horner commended Ricciardo after the race, pointing out that the seasoned driver had shown his best qualities against Mercedes in a subpar AT04. Horner stated ” I think fighting a Mercedes in an AlphaTauri for their best result of the year was a great performance. Had it not been for the red flag he might have actually finished even further up.”
Horner’s remarks could have provided Ricciardo with the necessary encouragement in his bid to secure a spot alongside Max Verstappen. Considering this, according to the current rumors, there’s a good chance that Ricciardo might take Sergio Perez’s seat next year. However, asserting that such a scenario is impossible Red Bull personnel have consistently dismissed these rumors.
In light of this Horner has stated publicly that Perez will undoubtedly stay at Red Bull. Interestingly, Horner also pointed out that the Guadalajara-born driver’s contract is good through 2024, regardless of where he finishes in the standings.
During his conversation with Motorsports Hormer said, ” Checo’s situation for next year is clear. He’s a Red Bull Racing driver. We have an agreement with him. It’s easy to beat up on him when the barometer is so high on the other side, but he will be our driver in 2024.”
