Daniel Riccardo may have competed in his final F1 race last weekend in Singapore, but regardless of what the future may hold, the Aussie has excluded a return to a reserve role with Red Bull in 2025.
At Marina Bay, all signs pointed to Ricciardo’s swansong outing as a Grand Prix driver, with race #257 concluding the 35-year-old’s fourteen-year presence among motorsport’s elite.
Ricciardo’s track record in the sport of 8 wins, 32 podiums and 3 pole positions – not to mention his smiling demeanor that has graced the grid during his tenure – fully deserved the emotional guard of honour offered to him by his RB team upon his return to the outfit’s hospitality unit on Sunday evening.
It’s unlikely the popular F1 veteran will hang up his helmet anytime soon. But it’s also improbable that he’ll chart his next career move in the near term.
“Look, if this is it and things move on without me I think firstly I will give myself time to figure out what’s next. I am also grateful for the career,” he said in Singapore.
“Getting to F1 was a dream, let alone being here for over a decade and having the chance to fight for wins.
“I don’t want to look back and be ‘oh, poor me’. It’s been great and maybe it’s something different. Maybe I go on and climb mountains or something.”
Read also:
Asked if he would consider a return to a reserve role to “keep a foot in the door”, Ricciardo replied with an emphatic “No!”.
“Obviously, last year it made a lot of sense to keep one foot in the door and obviously the big picture was to try and get back at Red Bull.
“I think if I was to do that again, there’s not really [much point]. I’m not going to restart my career.
“I’m also 35 and I still showed the pace that I’ve had over the years, but it’s obviously been evident that it’s been harder for me to show it every weekend.
“And maybe that is a little bit of an age thing. I think it definitely came easier for me when I was 25 as opposed to 35, but also maybe the competition is just increasing.”
Ricciardo alluded to the young generation simply being better equipped for development work, and better prepared to join the fray.
“I think that’s probably a common thing with all sports: simulators are getting better, the kids are getting younger, so naturally they’re [more prepared].
“And they have access to all the onboards now, so they can watch and study everyone.
“So maybe it’s just that the level’s increased and it’s probably a tall task for me to fight at that level week in, week out.
“I can’t be disappointed with that. I’m happy that, once upon a time, I could do it and that was a lot of fun.
“And if this is it, I want to make sure I walk away or leave the sport with good memories of it and it doesn’t get into that place where it’s just a grind and I’m out in Q1 every weekend. That’s obviously not fun.”
©RedBull
Reflecting on his F1 career, Ricciardo recounted a brief encounter with three-time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart in Singapore back in 2014, his “breakthrough” year in F1 with Red Bull
“Sometimes it felt a lot more effortless,” he explained. “I remember actually it was here in 2014. Sir Jackie Stewart caught me in the lobby. I remember he said something to me.
“He goes: 'If you ever want to talk, let me know because it won’t always be as easy as it seems'. You know, he was preparing for the lows. I was on such a high. Ok, I didn’t win the championship that year but everything felt easy. I am exaggerating, not easy.
“But when he told me, I was like ‘I am good, what are you talking about? I am not struggling. I am not intimidated by anyone. What is this?’.
“Even the following year, 2015, was a tough year. I immediately realised what he was talking about. Never get too high. Try not to get too low. Try to ride the wave. Keep your feet on the ground.”
And always keep smiling…
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
