Ricciardo opens up about Red Bull return
Wednesday, 30 November 2022
"They seemed as excited as me"
Daniel Ricciardo says his return to Red Bull Racing as the third driver in 2023 wasn't something he felt would happen but became a path that made more sense once he came to the realisation that he wanted to pause his Formula 1® racing career next season.
Ricciardo and McLaren came to terms on an early termination of the Australian's three-year deal in August, with McLaren hiring compatriot Oscar Piastri to race alongside Lando Norris next season.
Speaking to the Australian Grand Prix Corporation's In the Fast Lane podcast, Ricciardo admitted that Red Bull became an option as he balanced his preference to step away from a full-time F1® race seat with wanting to stay involved as he assesses his future.
"I was like 'I don't know definitely yet if I never want to race again or not, but I know next year, to jump into a race seat is not the right thing for me'," Ricciardo told the Australian Grand Prix Corporation's official podcast.
"Then it was trying to find the best way to keep a foot in the door, be involved, but to give me that time off. Red Bull was always in the back of my mind.
"Once we connected with Red Bull, I was appreciative of them giving me the time because they don't owe me anything. I was probably a little surprised because they seemed as excited as me, and as soon as we started talking, I was like 'how does this not make sense?”
"It's not that I ever ruled out that I would ever return to the Red Bull family, but four years ago I certainly thought it was a long shot when that next chapter of my career begun. Yes, it's a third driver role – I've been racing in F1 for over 10 years now and it shouldn't be that exciting, I guess … but it really was."
Next season will be the first since 2010 that Ricciardo won't be on the grid, and he expects how he reacts to not being in a competitive environment for the first time in a decade to reveal what his F1® future may hold.
"I would be very surprised if I watched races (next year), especially when I'm at the track, and I'm not wishing I was out there and competing," Ricciardo said.
"That's the beauty in next year … it'll give me that hard answer to what I truly want. I could watch round one and be like 'I don't want to sit out this whole year', and that will build into something really positive for me. If an opportunity arises for '24, I feel like I'll be foaming at the mouth."
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