Daniel Ricciardo says his return to F1 is in large part about "stripping back" the disappointment he endured in the past few years and getting back the "roots and core" of his passion for the sport.
Ricciardo returned to the fray this summer following Red Bull's decision to part ways with Nyck de Vries following the Dutchman's underperformance at AlphaTauri.
The Aussie acquitted himself well in Hungary but struggled a bit more in Spa last time out where he was outqualified and outpaced on race day by AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
Ricciardo feels that he has "a point to prove" by returning to the grid, perhaps more to himself than to others, after two unsatisfactory campaigns with McLaren that left him low on energy and drive and questioning his love for F1.
But slowly, the eight-time Grand Prix winner is reviving his craving desire.
"That’s really what I'm trying to get back to, get back to the start, get back to the early days and the real kind of roots and the core of why I got into this and the things that motivated me and then why I wanted to be here in this position," he told the media on Thursday in Zandvoort.
"So yeah, just kind of strip everything back and just get back to the pure enjoyment of the sport and the love of it.
"Obviously, [that] probably got a little bit clouded over the last year or two and I certainly found myself in a place where I was not enjoying it as much as I wanted."
Ricciardo hasn't hidden the fact that his end game with AlphaTauri is to prove that he would be worthy of returning to a race seat with Red Bull Racing in 2025.
But in the process, the 34-year-old also wants to have a good time.
"Six months ago, I wasn't sure if I would get back in the sport or race again," he said.
"So I even just take this now as every weekend is a bonus you know. I'm here, I'm racing, I’m loving it.
"I'm going to enjoy it. There's not really too much pressure or anything. I feel I have a point to prove but I'm not carrying too much weight with that."
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