Daniel Ricciardo regained (his) confidence in just one day thanks to his return to Red Bull
After experiencing two difficult seasons at McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo has found his smile again since his return to Red Bull this year as a reserve driver.
Pushed out by McLaren after spending two seasons largely behind his teammate Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo did not find a starting seat this year, but was chosen as a reserve driver by Red Bull, with whom he had already been with between 2014 and 2018. A comeback that went much better than the Australian imagined, he revealed in an interview with Top Gear.
« I was definitely excited to come back, and in the discussions we had, it felt like everyone was happy that I was returning, and it was like open arms,” explains Daniel Ricciardo, while pointing out that no hard feelings were kept within the Austrian team after his departure at the end of 2018. « I have turned the page, I have matured. I have lived and learned. And I have grown through it all. And I feel like everyone has done the same. There’s no continuation from 2018 or choices I made back then. I don’t even want to say that we are starting from scratch because it simply feels like picking up where we left off. »
Forgetting the past two years
Daniel Ricciardo has been working a lot in the simulator since the beginning of the season, an exercise he had never enjoyed as much before, he claims. Funny coincidence: Simon Rennie, who was his engineer at Red Bull when he was a teammate of Max Verstappen, now manages the simulator. The chemistry between the two men is therefore very much present.
It took me a few laps to get back on track and once I did, everything became familiar again. I would honestly say that in one day, my confidence went from probably being quite low to what I remember having before, declares Daniel Ricciardo. And I think having this free time allowed me, in a way, to forget the past two years a little bit. Just arriving there with a fresh mindset.
What opportunities for 2024?
But will the Australian settle for being the third wheel for the rest of his career? Starting positions for 2024 are limited, and Daniel Ricciardo is well aware of that. “It doesn’t scare me,” he says. “It’s always been like this. And I knew it would be a clear risk to step away from a seat,” he admits, after the end of his contract with McLaren in favor of Oscar Piastri. “But I think it’s clear that I don’t want just any seat next year,” even if I really want to be back in the race. “I don’t want to just start over and rebuild my F1 career from scratch. I don’t think it will stimulate me or give me the second wind I’m looking for,” the driver explains.
The latter concludes that he has learned during these first three months « the things on which I want to invest more energy », particularly his wine brands (DR3 X St Hugo Wines) and clothing (Enchanté by Daniel Ricciardo).
“These are things that I really enjoy and am committed to. These are my little fun hobbies. I say hobbies [but] they turn into something else. I’m just learning a lot through all of this,” concludes Daniel Ricciardo.
