Daniel Ricciardo has opened up about his F1 future, pointing to a July test with Red Bull as potentially being the catalyst for a resurgence.
The 33-year-old, Red Bull’s reserve driver for 2023, has been biding his time on the sidelines as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez continue to dominate the F1 paddock with five consecutive wins.
The RB19 is a class above its competitors this year, and Ricciardo is raring for an opportunity to prove his worth in the car — which he will get during a Pirelli tyre test at Silverstone in July.
Watch the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix 2023 Live and ad-break free in racing on Kayo Sports this Monday May 8th 5:30PM AEST. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Ricciardo said he is hoping that the RB19 has the key to get his “confidence back”, and prove his talents in the category once more.
The Australian said he’s already shown promising signs in the simulator at Milton Keynes, and wants to continue to build on the momentum.
“I’m putting pressure on myself, because I want to feel that pressure,” Ricciardo told The Telegraph. “I want this test to mean something.”
He added: “I did a test in the middle of 2013, which ultimately set up my seat in 2014 with the team. Ten years later, I’m kind of in that same position again.”
Ricciardo returned to Red Bull as the team’s third driver five years after his bombshell departure, which led to underwhelming two-year stints at Renault and McLaren.
The Australian struggled during his short tenure with the papaya team, repeatedly outclassed by McLaren teammate Lando Norris in qualifying sessions and races.
Ricciardo was eventually axed with 12 months remaining on his contract in favour of young compatriot Oscar Piastri, reportedly receiving a payout of AU$24 million.
Instead of signing with one of F1’s slower teams, he opted to take a break and sign on as Red Bull’s reserve driver for 2023, a decision he doesn’t regret.
He said that it’s a “given” that he still wants to be racing, but acknowledges that he needed to “switch off a little bit” this year to refresh.
Ricciardo’s F1 career isn’t over, far from it. Spanish legend Fernando Alonso, who celebrates his 42nd birthday this year, is currently third on the drivers’ standings with 75 points and four podiums in five races.
The Perth native is realistic about his chances of joining one of the sport’s powerhouse teams in 2024, but acknowledged that turning heads in the RB19 this winter couldn’t hurt.
“I know if I put a good showing in, it won’t go unnoticed,” Ricciardo said.
“It might not be lap time at the end of the day. It might be like, ‘Oh s***, by the end of lap two he was already flat out’. By the end of the test, I just want them to be like, ‘This kid still has it. He’s not just cruising around. He’s not a test driver’.”
Ricciardo remains a popular figure in the sport courtesy of his antics on Netflix docu-series Drive to Survive — the loudest cheer during Saturday’s qualifying session in Miami came when his smiling face appeared briefly on the bigscreens.
He has even more reason to smile as McLaren’s horror season continued over the weekend, with Norris and Piastri placing 17th and 19th respectively in Miami.
The Woking-based outfit’s performance has fallen off a cliff in 2023 — McLaren is lucky to be fifth in the constructors’ championships with 14 points, courtesy of last month’s chaotic Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, where half a dozen cars crashed out.
McLaren will be looking to bounce back at the Imola Grand Prix, which gets underway on Sunday, May 21 at 11pm AEST.
LL Cool J’s F1 intro falls flat | 02:37