Daniel Ricciardo Will Only Return To Formula 1 In A Top Seat

Despite having been out of a seat for the season, Daniel Ricciardo is still a hot topic of conversation around the Formula 1 Paddock. A poor spell at McLaren in 2021 & 2022 may have overshadowed his one race win with the team, but has certainly not diminished his rating amongst the top brass of the sport. Having said that, most top teams have their driver line ups set for the upcoming season, and to move to a mid-field team would mean almost re-starting his F1 career from scratch for the Aussie.

When asked by Top Gear UK if the lack of top seats scare him, Ricciardo said, “It doesn’t scare me. It’s always been like that. And I knew this was going to be a risk obviously removing myself from a seat. But I think it’s clear what I don’t want. I don’t want [just] any seat next year, as much as I think I want to be racing again.” 

Ricciardo tried his luck when he moved from Red Bull to Renault at the end of the 2018 campaign. Having moved from a top team to a mid-field team, Ricciardo was aiming to restart his Formula 1 career outside the Red Bull bubble, which had Max Verstappen at its centre. While Ricciardo thought he could perhaps find his way back at the top from another team, it didn’t work out for the driver, neither in Renault nor in McLaren. 

Now, Ricciardo has a different perspective towards his future move. “I don’t want to just start from zero, and kind of build my [F1] career from scratch. It’s not coming from an arrogant place. But I’m just past that. I don’t think that’s going to stimulate me or give me that second wind I’m looking for.” That narrows down Ricciardo’s options, but he isn’t scared of the lack of the availability of top seats. “That’s where I know I will be able to perform at my best and thrive. That’s the sort of stuff I’m keeping my eyes on”, he said.

Ever since the turbo hybrid era kicked off, there have been only 3 teams fighting at the knife-edge time in and time out - Mercedes, Ferrari, & Red Bull. But this year, Aston Martin has joined the party as well. As for Mercedes, George Russel & Lewis Hamilton look set to pilot the cars for the 2024 season. Similarly, Ferrari also looks set to retain Leclerc & Sainz. Aston Martin currently has Fernando Alonso racing one of its cars, and the 42-year-old Spaniard still is hoping to fight for another title. With the AMR23 capable of fighting for podiums but not the outright championship, Alonso might want to stay back at the outfit for another season to see if they come up with a better car. On the other side of the Aston Martin garage is Lance Stroll, whose father owns the team. So it's safe to say that he won’t be departing either.

That leaves Red Bull. Max Verstappen has been winning everything in his way right now, and there’s no evident reason for his partnership to end with Red Bull. However, the same isn’t the case with Sergio Perez. While Perez played second fiddle to Verstappen in the 2021 season and helped him clinch his first title against Hamilton, he has since been fighting with the team to battle on equal grounds with his team mate. The Mexican thinks that given the right chance, he can beat Verstappen to the crown, and the growing tension may lead Red Bull to terminate his clause at the end of the 2023 season. With Ricciardo already re-embedding in the Red Bull team as a third driver, this may be his best - and his only shot - at a top seat. But it comes with a big ‘if’.