Up until his disastrous switch to McLaren resulted in him being jettisoned by the Woking team just two years into his three-year contract, Daniel Ricciardo had a reputation for being one of the brightest talents on the Formula 1 grid.
The winner of seven grands prix with Red Bull added an eighth with a brilliant, unexpected victory at Monza in 2021, but that was not enough for him to save his drive after he ended 2022 having been out-scored by team mate Lando Norris by a combined 130 points over their two seasons together.But while Ricciardo losing his driver with McLaren may not have been a shock to most fans, the fact that the 33-year-old disappeared off the grid entirely for 2023 was a surprise to many. With no race seat available to him – or at least none to his liking – Ricciardo instead signed with Red Bull to return to the team he had left just four years prior, only this time as their third driver.
This year, the only chance Ricciardo has of racing is if either Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez are physically unable to race during a grand prix weekend where he is the designated Red Bull reserve driver for that weekend and not Liam Lawson. But in all likelihood, the only driving Ricciardo will be doing with the team this season will be for demonstration runs of Red Bull’s many showcars.
Despite this, Ricciardo remains confident that his racing career in Formula 1 isn’t over just yet. In a recent interview with Red Bull’s own Red Bulletin, Ricciardo said attending the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne made him realise he doesn’t want to throw in the towel on his F1 career.
“It certainly confirmed that I don’t feel done,” he said. “Of course, I don’t have a crystal ball, and I can’t guarantee that I’ll be racing next year. Last year, a part of me thought, ‘oh, maybe this is it,’ but now I feel that’s not how it’s going to end.”
But will Ricciardo really be able to find a way back on the grid in 2024?
For
Regardless of the fact he is effectively sitting out a season, Ricciardo remains one of the most outstanding candidates for drivers not on the F1 grid who may be deserving of a place on it. He is one of the most successful drivers of the last decade, with eight race victories to his name, and having regularly beaten two world champion team mates – Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen – during his time alongside them at Red Bull.
He is also just 33-years-old – easily a veteran, but far younger than the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Even Nico Hulkenberg, who returned to the grid this season after multiple seasons out of F1, is older than the Australian.
Ricciardo was too slow at McLaren, but has been strong in all other circumstances. His talent and previous achievements make him worthy of a second chance on the grid.
Against
With only 20 seats in Formula 1, only the very best drivers deserve to be given the chance to fill one of those limited placed on the grid. F1 is neither a charity, nor a social club – your past success means little if all you have to show from your recent seasons is being consistently out-performed by your younger and less-experienced team mate race after race.
For that reason, it’s hard to see why a team would choose to take a chance on Ricciardo – especially after a year out of the sport – in the hope that the version of him they get is the version that won seven races in a Red Bull or brought multiple podiums to Renault in his second season there. Especially when there are talented young drivers coming through into Formula 1 on an annual basis these days. Ricciardo has had his chance and, like many before him, it has come to an end.
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I say
Daniel Ricciardo’s loss of speed during his time at McLaren has got to be one of the greatest mysteries in F1’s recent sporting history. There’s few other examples that come to mind where a driver who was considered a potential world champion appearing to lose so much speed in such a short space of time.
That is, of course, if he wants them. He has been very open about his desire that, if he is to race again in Formula 1, he is only looking at a top team – a team that can be in the fight for podiums and even victories. But it is extremely hard to see where that opportunity will come. Mercedes and Aston Martin are highly unlikely to pick Ricciardo to replace any of their current drivers, while Red Bull are unlikely to consider switching Sergio Perez for Ricciardo given that Perez is the best partner to Verstappen since Ricciardo himself.
That makes a return to a team that finishes in the bottom half of the championship more likely. Eventually, like many drivers have before, him, Ricciardo might well find out that his only option to get back into a race seat will be with a team whose aspirations lie in the midfield and in race wins. Unless something dramatic opens up at the front, he’s likely to find that will be his only choice. And then we shall see how high Ricciardo’s standards will stay.
You say
Where do you think Daniel Ricciardo will be driving in 2024?
- Not racing in any series (9%)
- Racing in a series other than Formula 1 (30%)
- F1 - Remaining as a Red Bull third driver (34%)
- F1 - Racing for a bottom five team (24%)
- F1 - Racing for a top five team (3%)
Total Voters: 119
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Debates and polls
- Will Alonso win a world championship title with Aston Martin?
- How long should Red Bull give Ricciardo to prove he’s not lost his touch?
- Were stewards right to penalise Alonso over his driving before Russell’s crash?
- Are Williams right to bench Sargeant so Albon can race after crash?
- Is the FIA right to make ten seconds the new standard for penalties?
Ajayrious (@ajayrious)
21st May 2023, 9:36
The only way I see him back on the grid next year is if the relationship between Max and Sergio implodes and one of them (Perez) leaves.
Proesterchen_nli
21st May 2023, 9:40
Who in their right mind would want to pay a driver the sums of money Daniel has gotten used to to lose the team points?
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
21st May 2023, 10:08
I voted for remain as a Red Bull third driver as I think this is the most likely outcome for 2024.
I think there is an outside chance of a drive in a F1 bottom 5 team as I think Daniel still has something to prove in the series. But then which one? Haas, but are they going to drop one of their current drivers? Alpha Tauri is the more obvious place but would Daniel really accept that?
Ω (@omega)
21st May 2023, 10:30
I agree, Third driver for RB seems most likely, but you’re right, maybe he’ll go for a AT drive, if he’s more desperate for a seat than I thought.
Jere (@jerejj)
21st May 2023, 10:40
@omega Marko already definitively ruled him out for AT, so that won’t happen in any case, even if he changed his mind about only wanting to drive in a top team.
De Vries would most likely be replaced by Lawson, followed by Iwasa & Hauger.
Dex
21st May 2023, 11:52
I’m not sure if Lawson deserves that compared to the rest. He was bad in F2… Perhaps they don’t need to change drivers every year, at least if De Vries starts doing a decent job before it’s too late. Lawson didn’t prove himself against other drivers in F2, so I wouldn’t pick him before them, but then F1 is a different thing so it’s all a gamble anyway (and all I know is what I see in broadcasts, teams know more). One thing is for sure, he’s not the next Verstappen, nor Norris or even Piastri. He’ll have to really impress this year, but then, he’s not competing against his rivals for the seat so it’s harder to prove himself.
Antz (@antznz)
21st May 2023, 23:01
I disagree. He finished 3rd last year but there a lot of weird race strategies and he regularly lost points by being on the wrong strategy. Admittedly this is likely caused by not qualifying as well as he could have but if he stuck to regular strategies despite his starting position he would have had quite a few extra points. His driving became more consistent the longer he was in F2 and he has shown his potential when changing categories.
He’s quick and from watching some behind the scenes video, he needed to mature as a person before being ready for F1. I’m a kiwi so I’ve kept a close eye on him and I think Red Bull have managed him exceptionally well. He wasn’t ready for F1 this year and since being in Japan he comes across as much more mature than he has previously. He’s starting to look like a well rounded package now. I think he surprise a few people if put into AT next year.
Jere (@jerejj)
21st May 2023, 10:43
@phil-f1-21 Haas, like most other teams, will most likely keep the status quo & if Ricciardo truly wanted to join them, he would’ve done so already for this season rather than turning them down, & I doubt he’d change his mind regarding only wanting to drive in a top team.
Marko already definitively ruled him out for AT, so more about this than his willingness.
Nitzo (@webtel)
21st May 2023, 10:35
Although it seems a bit natural and realistic for him to continue as the third driver for Red Bull, i do not see how taking up such a role will enthuse him. Come late 2023, I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts exploring for a seat in some racing series other than F1. Drivers dont necessarily lose their racing acumen after a year away from racing but nonetheless, they are better off competing in a lower series rather that take up such reserve driver roles. Maybe he’ll find a lot of success in next racing venture.
That said, i hope he isn’t too distracted with his project on some F1-based fictional TV series. Is that still on ?
drmouse (@drmouse)
22nd May 2023, 16:14
Agreed. I suspect he hoped that Perez would under-perform and he would be promoted to second driver this season. I can’t see him wanting to stay as reserve driver for long.
If he could score a race seat somewhere next season I’m sure he’d jump at the chance. As things stand, another season as reserve driver and I doubt he’ll ever make it back into a race seat.
Jere (@jerejj)
21st May 2023, 10:39
I would’ve wanted to go for three options (the middle & two bottom), but since only one is possible, I ultimately chose the middle option.
Short answer: No.
Long answer: A full-time return for next season is unrealistic, but 2025 is another matter.
Concerning next season, teams have clear driver plans for the medium or longer term, either an unchanged lineup or changing to someone else instead, i.e., other drivers ahead in priority order.
Ricciardo himself has stated he’d only return in a top team rather than only to make up numbers in lower positions, & even if he changed his mind regarding this aspect, he’d still have a hard time getting anywhere because of what I point out above.
If Haas were truly an option, he’d already be there, so still pondering that is pointless.
Alfa Romeo has Seidl, who I doubt would be willing to take another risk with Ricciardo, knowing full-well his obvious adaptability weakness, not to mention neither current driver is underperforming per se & thus giving a reason for sacking.
Another factor is Pourchaire, who’s a clear-cut priority in any driver change scenario & I assume Mick follows him because of nationality.
Unfortunately for Ricciardo, teams are probably more unwilling to recruit him than before his failed Mclaren stint in fear of him struggling again, hampering their points opportunities.
Simon
21st May 2023, 15:36
https://media.makeameme.org/created/i-want-more-zhvg42.jpg
Jere (@jerejj)
21st May 2023, 19:02
@Simon You’re seemingly obsessed with replying to me by using links.
Sometimes getting the message & all valid points requires somewhat long posts.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
21st May 2023, 10:50
I guess the best hope for Ricciardo in a top team is if Hamilton retires, which is unlikely but a possibility. Even then, there’s probably plenty of alternative candidates for the seat.
MichaelN
21st May 2023, 10:52
Maybe, but probably not in F1. He had over a decade there, which is a good career. He apparently couldn’t accept the role that the likes of Pérez have settled into. That makes him an unattractive hire for the big teams.
Smaller teams value consistency and reliability, something his two years at McLaren have undermined.
Electroball76
21st May 2023, 10:57
Aston Martin could do with a talented no.2 driver. But Alonso is already doing really well in that position.
Ferrari? As third driver. Or as a stop gap if Carlos leaves.
Haas would be a good fit. F1 and NASCAR.
Probably replacing Hulk.
Or perhaps joining former F1 drivers like Mazepin and Hartley in endurance racing.
Jere (@jerejj)
21st May 2023, 19:03
@Electroball76 Hulk didn’t get hired only to get sacked after a single season, not that he’s even given a reason for sacking by his relative performance thus far.
EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
21st May 2023, 11:17
I had a brain fade moment wondering for a few minutes why there was no “middle ten tems” option before I realised I was confusing team numbers with driver numbers. D’oh!.
Kringle
21st May 2023, 11:56
No
Next!
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
21st May 2023, 13:13
I can’t see him back on the F1 grid as much as that pains me to say. He’s still young though so I can see him racing in another series. Which one? Well I guess he’s in a position to make that call. A grand prix winner would be quite the catch for just about any other series. Having said all this, Hulkenberg found a way back so you never know!
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
21st May 2023, 14:24
I think this is a really multi-faceted issue dependent not only on Ricciardo but on driver negotiations up and down the paddock. If I look at it in the short term, there are no obvious seats available at the front of the grid. But in the long term – Red Bull could have one or both seats open in 3 years, Ferrari will make a change prior to 2026, Mercedes have to plan for life post Hamilton, Norris will leave McLaren and Alonso will retire.
Of the young drivers coming through, there isn’t a long list of obvious superstars. Magnussen, Albon and Hulkenburg have been welcomed back and the F2 graduates like Tsunoda don’t look top level either. There also doesn’t seem to be much appetite for the Drugovich, Schumacher and Ilotts of the recent past either. As a result, Alpha Tauri have went with a driver in De Vries who most of the gird had passed over and it is now becoming clear why.
I think Daniel should have his eyes set on Andretti. The driver market is volatile and in 2020 you would have got good odds that Alonso would have 4 podiums from 5 races and DR3 and Vettel both off the grid 3 years later. In order for Ricciardo to put himself in that shop window he needs a couple of solid midfield seasons. Williams could do a lot worse. Haas too. Red Bull could also keep him race sharp at AT – despite what Marko thinks. My fear for Daniel is that if he misses out on 2024, the market will move again and he’ll be forgotten about. Racing against Albon at Williams for a couple of seasons at $2m a year would suit all parties I think.
Daniel needs to accept his value has changed – I think he can win races again, he’s clearly an emotional driver and just needs the confidence of being a number 1 driver again. He’s not going to get that in the top 6 teams (McLaren and Alpine had the chance to sign him for 2023 and didn’t) so he’s left with AT, Williams, Haas and Alfa. Alfa will likely use Bottas as a yardstick against Pourchaire so his options are limited. But racing in F1 needs to be his priority and if he is to have a successful second career the way Magnussen, Alonso and Hulkenburg have he needs to be willing to sacrifice and gamble on his reputation. No-one in the sport wants to remember him as the McLaren 2022 driver; he can have good days ahead.
Simon
21st May 2023, 18:12
https://languageandgrammar.com/2019/03/09/wow-man-thats-really-gone/
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
21st May 2023, 22:19
Thanks, I guess.
What do you make of the actual story though Simon? Anyone can make glib remarks, post asinine gifs and grammatical corrections – if you’d like to add value why not offer an opinion on an actual event related to the sport?
I’m just not sure what your objective is – why are you trying to antagonise other F1 fans? Do you think others view it positively? Do you think non-native speakers enjoy you links or do you think it discourages them from posting? What’s the end game here?
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
21st May 2023, 20:51
I heard a sports commentator say something along the lines of “You’re good as your last game”. While that doesn’t necessarily hold true for an F1 driver, Daniel’s departure from McLaren was because they believed there were much cheaper drivers who could produce much better results.
I just don’t see why Daniel puts himself in places like standing next to the race track while a TV camera is present. If you want to drive, then drive. If you don’t want to drive then don’t. Standing in front of a TV camera beside the racetrack won’t fool a team principal. Do you love driving a race car more than the pay packet? Then take the best offer, and yes, that will mean having to swallow your pride. If you do then you need to give 100% of yourself to this new team. You need to prove you are the best by reinventing yourself so you can drive this new car to the limits of its capabilities.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
21st May 2023, 22:14
@drycrust I can see both sides. If Daniel makes a poor career choice, and for all we know Haas or Williams deliver a car 3 seconds off the pace as soon as he steps in it, then his career is totally lost. So I can understand his desire to wait for a car that can guarantee top midfield at the least – realistically that’s all Renault and McLaren were promising him from the moment he left Red Bull. From a financial perspective, he knows his value and these TV sets are just keeping his eye in. The average DTS fan is probably unaware he’s out of a race seat and his commercial value remains high to a smaller team. There is inevitably some ego involved also – I certainly wouldn’t want to move from $10m a season to $1m a season in 3 years but I think he sees the whole picture: experience, pace and personality are important. The trouble he has is that his valuation of himself and his guarantees and those willing to pay him it are out of sync. So I think he needs to drop the salary, recover the reputation and then move forward to another team with a desire to fight for podiums again. But it’s a long road and it’s clear why he is anxious about making the right first step.
Jason (@jasonj)
21st May 2023, 14:52
He is done. Why would a team take on a rehabilitation project when there are young guns with potential standing in line? It make no sense. He no longer posesses ‘potential’, even Red Bull are attempting to build his ego as a charity case, and because McLaren are paying his bill for him this year.
Daniels best bet is to stick to marketing, his days as a top performing driver are a few years removed from reality nowadays. He too much wants to be a ‘personality’ other than a driver anyway.
MichaelN
21st May 2023, 16:30
@jasonj Don’t disagree, but F1 teams love experience. Those young ‘potentials’ are getting ignored in favour of guys like Gasly, Magnussen, Hülkenberg, Bottas and arguably even Albon and Tsunoda. (And Stroll, but Stroll is a separate case.)
Ricciardo is rightly criticized for his poor performance at McLaren, but… well, it’s McLaren. It’s not like they’ve done a stellar job, and Ricciardo at least has a history of winning races and collecting solid podiums. The “problem” is mostly his ego. Haas claimed he wanted a 10+ million dollar salary, and that’s just not the kind of price a ‘2023 Ricciardo’ is going to get anywhere.
And also, he’s already done 230+ races and is almost 34 years old. These are normally ‘end of career’ kind of figures. Alonso is not the new norm, he’s just… Alonso.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
21st May 2023, 17:51
I’m not sure I agree that Ricciardo is finished @jasonj @MichaelN.
As recently as 2020 he obliterated Ocon, with numerous stand out drives and outqualified him 15 times in 17 comparable events. Monza 2021 still showed he can control races when the car is just right; for all Norris’ skill and potential, he’s not shown that. Of course, 2022 was a disaster but I think that was down to DR3’s driving style not suiting the McLaren. The comparison between the drivers in Austria quali ’21 is frightening – Daniel is clearly losing seconds under braking, his key attribute. Stiff 2022 cars with the same brakes and philosophy were unlikely to improve his plight and his confidence diminished with predictable results. Of the young guns standing in line – who is there really? The only exceptional talents not at a top 3 team are Norris and Piastri otherwise I don’t think anyone on the grid or in F2 has the same ceiling as Ricciardo.
As for the ‘end of career’ side, Alonso is not really an exception. In the early 2000s when the cars were super physical to drive I think we had a lot of careers shorter than previously. Mansell, Prost, Jones, Andretti and Lauda all won titles older than Ricciardo is now. Of the race winning drivers of the 21st century DC was 37 when he retired, Rubens 38, Jenson 36, Kimi 41, Jarno Trulli 38, Webber 37 – let’s not forget Lewis won 3 Championships older than Daniel is today and shows no sign of stopping now and will be 39 at the first race of next season.
To my mind, Ricciardo has the experience teams crave, has delivered in multiple cars of multiple regulations sets and has won a GP in the past 2 years. He’s a much better prospect than half the grid and certainly offers more than those in F2 – if he’s willing to accept an equivalent wage. He has had no major injuries and is from a fit generation driving easy to drive cars – he could race until he’s 40 without issue.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
21st May 2023, 17:53
I forgot to add Michael Schumacher at 43 too.
MichaelN
21st May 2023, 18:48
It’s a fair point about the 2000s being a bit of an outlier. Still, I wouldn’t put Ricciardo in the same tier as some of those drivers mentioned, and even they tended not to have their best seasons towards the end of their prolonged career but were, because of where they were at their best, still at a relatively high level.
The Norris-Ricciardo dynamic is an interesting one. Norris wasn’t hailed as a generational talent when he was seesawing with Sainz, and it’s been pretty clear ever since Sainz joined Ferrari that he’s not in that special upper tier of drivers. Not only can Sainz not keep up with Leclerc, it’s (still) not clear whether or not Leclerc himself can sustain a season long championship campaign at the level of a Verstappen or Hamilton.
But nevertheless, Norris’ status has gotten a huge boost on the back of Ricciardo’s struggles; I think RaceFans even ranked him the 2nd best driver in all of F1 in 2022. Obviously it helps that the guy is English, but even with that bonus, it’s probably overstated. All the more so given how close Piastri has already gotten in just a handful of races (and after being a year out of the real racing action, too!).
Don’t disagree with that. His struggles at McLaren are an issue, but then again… he did win when he had the chance. Norris did not. A big part of that two season long struggle is also on McLaren, because look at where they are now. Their organisation has serious flaws, and if it had been a better run team they might have been able to fix some of Ricciardo’s problems halfway through their first season.
That last bit is probably key, too. No matter what Ricciardo tells himself, his negotiating position has been severely weakened and he cannot come into a discussion with a team as the race winner that, on his better days, kept pace with Verstappen. That’s not all there is to it anymore, and he’ll have to make some compromises if he wants to race in F1 again.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
21st May 2023, 22:33
Yeah I agree with all of that. 2022 McLaren is certainly Schrodinger’s campaign. Norris is either Nuvolari or Ricciardo is Yuji Ide depending on which way you look at it. My take on it is that the cars didn’t suit DR3, his confidence was shot and the team tried to oust him to save the retainer.
Sainz is somewhat of an enigma. I’ve personally never rated him. I felt his performances against Verstappen and Norris were due to his experience difference over the 2. His performance in the first season versus Leclerc was similar – there to collect dependable results but never any spark to seperate him from the rest. Although, this year he’s losing that a bit as the Ferrari pressure mounts. Norris I think has some development to do too. I think he’s too emotional under pressure and his feedback in the wet is poor. That’s not to say he can’t improve on these areas – outright speed remains his strength.
Regarding Ricciardo, events of his demise are greatly exaggerated. I honestly can’t see him doing a worse job than De Vries, Magnussen, Hulkenburg, Sargeant, Stroll etc. That’s not to say they’ve been poor – I just think a confident Ricciardo would still have what it takes to beat them. Bottas is enduring a tricky time too at the start of the year – he just doesn’t have Norris in the other garage fighting for points so the optics are different.
Jason (@jasonj)
22nd May 2023, 2:09
@rbalonso
I’d love it if he wasn’t, but unfortunately he has been exposed as being too sensitive to differing car characteristics, if he doesn’t have the right dynamics, the right brakes, etc, he falls apart. He is no Alonso, he needs an exact car that matches his driving style, or he is off the pace by a long margin. That is obvious to every team up and down pitlane.
Not only that, but he left 2 teams that really wanted him, to chase money, yet never delivered near what he was earning.
I agree he’d be great for Andretti, to get a yardstick driver to measure against, but as a performer his day is over. He just doesn’t have that drivability to handle uncooperative cars. I could be wrong though
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
22nd May 2023, 7:05
I see where you’re coming from @jasonj but it think it’s a bit extreme to say he falls apart. He’s beaten some exceptional team-mates in Vettel and Verstappen. His performance at Renault was outstanding – Hulkenberg was established there having beaten Sainz, and Ocon was seen as the rising star. So he has faced adversity and shown character.
I think the drivers ‘window of performance’ now is smaller than it has ever been to be honest. We saw the depth of Vettel’s decline when the cars moved away from his strengths. Gasly and Albon have proven to be competitive drivers post their Red Bull misery and Carlos Sainz looks to be struggling at Ferrari this season. Whether this is due to the grid being closer or the complexities of the cars, it’s hard to say but I think we’re seeing greater fluctuations in performance from established drivers recently than we have historically.
With regard to moving for money, I felt that he had to leave Red Bull as his time was up there. Renault was the perfect pick given their abilities under cost caps and with new regulation sets and I thought they would have as good a chance as anyone to hit the ‘2021’ season competitively. Covid was the main issue that derailed that project and Ricciardo obviously felt it was time to move on, again correctly. His choice of McLaren was rash – I saw it as too similar to the Red Bull environment but I suspect he aimed at Ferrari and missed out and had to settle. That could have been a financial decision from Ferrari in retrospect but in 2020 he certainly earned his wage at Renault.
Le Jimster (@lejimster82)
21st May 2023, 16:12
While I was skeptical of his switch to Renault I thought McLaren would be a good move and finally we would see him back up at the front. But I’m kind of tired of speculating about him. Aside from his 1 win at McLaren those 2 seasons were pretty poor and then he refuses a move to Haas… I struggle to see where he will go. He’s going to have to accept a drop down the grid or leave and do something else.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
21st May 2023, 21:18
I thought his move to Renault was a good move because I thought that car would perform better than the Red Bull – Honda car, but I was wrong on both counts. The Red Bull – Honda car was better than the Renault, and Daniel didn’t get the results I was expecting him to get in the Renault car. While his departure from there was sort of a surprise to Renault, I suspect they were actually pleased to see him go. Even if he’d stayed I don’t think he’d be still driving for them. I don’t know why Daniel hasn’t performed as well for the other teams after leaving Red Bull, but my guess is he keeps wanting these other cars to be like the Red Bull – Renault powered cars he used to drive, which is a mistake. These other cars weren’t designed to be driven like a Red Bull, they were designed to be driven as a Renault or McLaren or whatever.
Adam (@rocketpanda)
21st May 2023, 16:39
Based on his most recent performances he doesn’t deserve to be in a top team, and his open reluctance to joining a team he considers ‘below him’ is arrogant. He makes no case for why a top team would want him for riding that “potential” is meaningless now and is too expensive, too selfish and clearly thinks he’s too above a lower one. Given his popularity and hype, returning to a smaller team and putting in some great performances would immediately get attention back on him but spending his time in Red Bull’s third dungeon flirting with teams that he’s not even on the radar for anymore isn’t going to get him anything. As much as I miss how good Ricciardo was I think it’s best he finds something else to do as I don’t think his heart’s in F1 anymore.
dsa dsadsa
21st May 2023, 19:13
Tbh it’s hard to see where he goes unless he vastly reels in his expectations. Having said that his career ended on such a bad note with McLaren it’s hard to see it getting worse. F1 is a fickle sport where people have huge recency bias, be it the last race or you final season. But F1 also hypes people like no other sport with little justification. Hop into Haas/Williams & don’t flop (I doubt he would) & suddenly he’d be hyped up again. He should take whatever paycut is required to make sure mclaren is not how he’s remembered.
Antz (@antznz)
21st May 2023, 23:05
The best argument I’ve heard is that he could go to Alfa which should be moving forward with Audi investment. This would put him in one of the “big” teams, give audi a chance to audition him and potentially have a solid driver with a decent price. If he doesn’t show the potential he had he could be gone before Audi take over.
Mooa42
22nd May 2023, 5:42
TBH I can’t see him leaving RedBull again, he either gets a drive with them, or he doesn’t unless he is on loan from RedBull.
Having said that I would be interested to see him at Audi to see if the rhetoric that Andreas Seidl was talking about Dan, when they got rid of him at McLaren, was true. Every chance they both disagreed with the direction McLaren was heading and Andreas got Dan out before extracting himself too.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
22nd May 2023, 1:10
I voted bottom 5 teams but I think 1 more option was needed: what if haas becomes a top 5? It’s not unreasonable, teams on the fringe could or could not be a top 5 team depending on season, so a midfield team option would’ve been needed.
Stash (@stash)
24th May 2023, 2:54
Hulkemberg made it back so ruling out Daniels return is baseless. It can and may happen. Or not. Completely ruling him out makes no sense. Has he lost an arm or a leg? Something happen to him I am unaware of? Maybe it just was the car at Mc’s. Going on past performances in other teams it appears that that is the case unless I am unaware he lost a leg or arm or copped an ice pick to the forehead? Something I’m not aware of?
MarkWebber (@markwebber)
24th May 2023, 5:07
He just lost his talent