Daniel Ricciardo is facing the end of his Formula 1 career, for the time being at least, after being dropped by the McLaren team a year ahead of the end of his current contract.
Ricciardo agreed to an early termination of his arrangement with the team after a disappointing second season with the team. He now looks unlikely to get a race seat anywhere else on the grid for 2023.
That means the Australian will be on the sidelines for a year - but he insists that this will actually aide him get another drive in the future
“I can confidently say that I won’t be on the grid behind a wheel,” he told Sky Sports F1 in Mexico when asked what his current situation was. “But I still want to be in the sport.
“I want to be working with a team, still with the ambition to be back on the grid in 2024. It’s honestly where my head is at.
“I am talking to teams," he said, admitting that the options for a full time position were now all but extinguished. "If there was a lot, I’d probably be in a race seat.
"I still want to keep a foot in the door for 2024," he added. "Seeing the lights go out for race one, I will have an itch!
Ricciardo suggested that taking a break could actually prove to be a “blessing in disguise” after the demoralising run of events at McLaren since he won the Italian GP in 2021.
“I feel like a bit of time away from a race seat will do me good," he said. "I know the value of even a summer break - stepping away gives you a different perspective. The way the seasons are, it’s pretty relentless.
“You don’t really get a chance to rebuild. Everyone is different," he pointed out. "[I will] try to rebuild on something for 2024. Let’s say I’m not done, but it’ll look a bit different.
"By doing less I’ll achieve more," he suggested. “No doubt the last two years have been quite hard, especially when you put a lot in and when it doesn’t come back. It can get you down.”
However not everyone agreed that a time out would be beneficial or that there would be any way back for Ricciardo once he steps away.
“For Daniel it’s a tricky situation," former F1 world champion Jenson Button told Sky Sports' Any Driven Monday. “I really struggle to see him coming back to a competitive team after having a year out.”
"I guess he didn’t want to drop too far down the grid and work with a team that’s more towards the rear because it’s difficult for a driver coming from a team that is almost winning races at times to suddenly know you’re fighting for points.
“It’s tough, but I still think it would have been a better move for him. Go into a team, work hard, show people what you can do in a car that maybe suits you a bit more, and people forget what happened the year before.
“That’s the issue now. People forget how good Ricciardo is because he’s had such a difficult year-and-a-half or two years.
"He has the talent, and in a car that suits him he would show his skill and then he has the opportunity to race in a top team again. But sitting out? People just remember what happened last year."
Ricciardo has been linked with taking a test and reserve role at Mercedes during his pending 'gap year', with Mercedes principal Toto Wolff revealing that the Aussie has also been talking with his old team Red Bull.
©McLaren
“Discussions are ongoing, but nothing has been signed yet,” Ricciardo confirmed. “Nothing is guaranteed for 2024, but I will do everything I can to return.”
“For us, we think he’s a great character," said Wolff when asked if Ricciardo was in the running to take over the test role from AlphaTauri-bound Nyck de Vries.
“His personality is an absolute strength," Wolff continued. "Daniel has been with us for a long time, he knows these cars inside out. That can definitely be an advantage.
"I don’t want to start any rumours here, because the truth is that we haven’t decided yet," he added. "We are not yet ready to say who our third driver will be next season."
"It would be interesting,” current driver George Russell told Sky when asked aboute possibility of Ricciardo heading to Brackley. “I’d like to see that. We have to see what he wants to do in the future.”
Wolff was spotted wearing some Ricciardo merchandise in Mexico City, but he denied that this suggested any deal had been done.
“I am promoting his merch!" Wolff quipped "Honestly I just like it. They took a photo of me and posted it online.”
“I gave George a sweater," Ricciardo explained. "Toto messaged saying he really liked it so I gave him one too!”
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