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“We are in talks with Daniel Ricciardo”: Red Bull chief confirms talks over possible return of ex-driver into the fold

Tanish Chachra
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"We are in talks with Daniel Ricciardo": Red Bull chief confirms talks over possible return of ex-driver into the fold

Daniel Ricciardo is without a drive for the 2023 season as McLaren has decided to split their ways. His compatriot and 2021 f2 champion Oscar Piastri is announced to replace him at the Woking-based team.

Ricciardo has also refused to be with the teams like Williams and Haas, the lower circle of the F1 grid, as they were the only teams to have vacancies this year.

As of now, the recent reports suggest Ricciardo can sign for any top team. However, the role would be limited to a reserve driver role, as the whole grid, except for Haas, looks sorted for the 2023 season.

Also read: F1 expert says Sebastian Vettel’s Multi-21 is nowhere near to what Max Verstappen did to Sergio Perez

Is Daniel Ricciardo returning to Red Bull?

Reportedly, Ricciardo is also in talks with Red Bull for the 2023 season. But with Sergio Perez signing a contract till 2024 and Max Verstappen being an untouchable figure, the Australian getting a driving spot over there is quite impossible.

But Red Bull chief Helmut Marko confirms they are talking with Ricciardo. And as expected, they are only willing to offer him a reserve driver role with his former team.

“We are in talks [with] Ricciardo. But that’s primarily the function of a reserve driver, simulator driver and various promotional appearances, without us making a fixed commitment regarding a [racing cockpit],” said Marko to ORF.

Ricciardo is also in contention to grab the reserve driver seat at Mercedes. That way, he would also be a reserve driver for his current team, McLaren and Aston Martin, as these teams having customer relations can use the reserve driver of the Silver Arrows.

8 GP winner can take a sabbatical

Ricciardo has been given regular appearances in F1 for over a decade. At that time, he established himself as a superstar of the sport. Even though he hasn’t won a championship in his prolonged career, his 8 GP wins are a testimony to his talent.

After this lengthy spell, Ricciardo may see his way out of the F1 grid. He has admitted that he isn’t ruling out a sabbatical from F1, as he requires some time off from the sport, even though he wants to be connected with it.

If he takes a sabbatical next year, he plans to have an impactful return in 2023. But would a sabbatical help him to rejoin the highly competitive F1 grid? That remains to be seen.

Also read: Ferrari reported to sack Mattia Binotto, Frederic Vasseur named a possible replacement

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra

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Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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