Daniel Ricciardo recently reflected on a year filled with ups and downs, which often made him ponder over his future in F1. The 34-year-old started 2023 as a reserve driver for Red Bull but soon found his way to the full-time seat in AlphaTauri. A strong comeback in the Hungarian Grand Prix showed signs of a revitalized Ricciardo, but an injury in the Dutch GP killed his confidence once again.
With all this in mind, Ricciardo spoke to RacingNews 365 about the “rollercoaster” year, which eventually helped him decide whether or not to continue his career in F1. A year ago, the Perth-born driver was in a dilemma, having suffered a forgettable stint at McLaren, thus losing his love for F1.
⚠️ | Daniel Ricciardo says Alonso and Hamilton prove his age will not be a barrier to his F1 future.
— F24 (@Formula24hrs) October 22, 2022
“I can imagine some people would say, ‘Okay, you tried to return, you’ve had a crazy, little freak injury now, maybe you should just stop.’ However, I’ve never seen it that way” said the Honey Badger.
Ricciardo did not lose faith and continued working on his recovery. Considering all the ‘signs’, the Aussie driver claimed he wanted to continue on the path chosen for him and was determined to fight in the front of the grid again, so “it’s been a roller coaster, but I feel very good about it.”
Daniel Ricciardo details the optimal way to end his career
Having decided to continue racing, Ricciardo found success with AlphaTauri with some remarkable performances in Mexico and beyond. This resulted in him earning a seat with the team for next year and rumors about him potentially replacing Sergio Perez at Red Bull in 2025.
Talking about the perfect end to his F1 career, Ricciardo recently claimed nothing would be better than if it were to end with Red Bull. “Honestly, to end my career as a Red Bull driver would be perfect.”
Ricciardo added that he wasn’t looking at the end, but if he were to go back there, then he wanted to make sure to finish there. The Australian driver also revealed that working with the Red Bull family, alongside his former engineer Simon Rennie, and performing track testing before getting into the Red Bull car once again was his dream.
