Ricciardo set to tackle Nordschleife for Red Bull

While taking a year out from competing in Formula 1 might not have been top of Daniel Ricciardo's list for 2023, his 'gap year' is nonetheless coming with some pretty cool treats as part of his new role as Red Bull reserve driver.

Later this year he'll get a chance to drive demonstration laps in a Red Bull show car at the iconic Nordschleife circuit, the first official F1 demonstration laps there since Michael Schumacher went for a drive in 2013.

On that occasion Schumacher was at the wheel of a 2011 Mercedes W02 on the longer version of the Nurburgring, which had previously hosted the German Grand Prix between 1951 and 1976, when Niki Lauda barely survived a massive accident.

Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) Red Bull Racing RB19 Reserve and Third Driver. 30.03.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 3, Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia, Preparation Day. - www.xpbimages.com, EMail: requests@xpbimages.com © Copyright: Coates / XPB Images

That demonstration had been part of a programme of events supporting that year's 24 Hours of Nurburgring. It was Schumacher's final timer in a F1 cockpit before the skiing accident that left him with serious life-changing injuries.

Ricciardo's outing will take place on September 9 alongside “legendary greats of motorsport on two and four wheels” and “young racing talents” with details to be provided nearer the time.

It's part of Red Bull's Formula Nurburgring festival being held alongside the 12 Hours Nurburgring, the 'blue ribband' event of the Nurburgring Endurance Series.

Ricciardo’s 2023 programme also includes appearances at selected Grand Prix events during the season, and a possible outing behind the wheel in a tyre test. It's currently unknown whether he'll be back in F1 full-time in 2024.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.