Daniel Ricciardo lays out criteria for F1 return

Daniel Ricciardo has taken another step closer to his F1 return with an intriguing hint at what his next team could be.

Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Oracle Red Bull Racing has a seat fitting in the Red Bull Racing garage during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 30, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Daniel Ricciardo has taken another step towards returning to the Formula One grid, hinting to fans and potential employers what a team needs to do to be able to sign the eight-time Grand Prix winner.

Despite most of the grid being sewn up in contracts through 2024, Ricciardo told Top Gear he can still demand attention from the top teams.

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“It doesn’t scare me (a lack of available seats). It’s always been like that,” Ricciardo said.

Ricciardo was infamously punted from McLaren after a miserable two seasons with the Woking outfit in favour of young gun compatriot Oscar Piastri at the end of last year, and turned down offers from backmarker teams such as Haas and Williams in favour of a reserve role with his former team, Red Bull, in 2023.

“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 … I don’t want to just start from zero, and kind of build my career from scratch,” he said.

Daniel Ricciardo has been relegated to the sidelines in 2023. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

“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.

“So it makes the top seats even scarcer. But that’s where I know I will be able to perform at my best and thrive.”

Speaking on his return to Red Bull, Ricciardo said he received a warm welcome in Milton Keynes.

“I felt like everyone was excited for me to come back and it was kind of like open arms,” he said.

“I didn’t expect everyone that I used to work with to be as kind of high (about it) as I am. I think it’s cool. I’ve moved on, I’ve matured. I’ve lived and learned. And I’ve kind of grown through it all.

“My first day back at Red Bull in the simulator was the most fun I’ve ever had driving a simulator. Which is crazy, because especially at this point in my career that’s normally the boring work.

“But Simon (Rennie), my engineer in the time at Red Bull, he’s running the sim now. So it was like we were back in the routine of 2018 and mate, I loved it. It took me a few laps to get going and, once I did, it all felt familiar again.

“I would honestly say in a day my confidence went from being probably pretty low to back at the levels I remember being at.”

It comes after remarks from Red Bull boss Christian Horner that Ricciardo had come back from McLaren with different tendencies than the ones he had learned over a decade in the Red Bull driver program.

Ricciardo will only come back with a top team – the eight-time winner has no interest in driving for backmarkers. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

“It was clear when he came back, that he picked up some habits that were not … that we didn’t recognise as the Daniel that had left us two or three years earlier,” Horner said during the team boss press conference in Melbourne.

“I think the problem is when you drive a car that obviously has its limitations, you adapt and you try and adjust to extract the maximum out of that car.”

More recently, Horner has spoken about the positive effect that Ricciardo’s presence has had on the Red Bull Racing set up, which has been a significant PR win for a team battling crisis after crisis between its two primary drivers in Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

“It’s great to have him back in blue and back in the team,” he said.

“He’s really throwing himself into it. (He’s) sitting in the briefings, he’s been working hard on the simulator as well, doing some race support and some development work on that.

“Daniel’s just a positive energy to be around and it’s great to see him getting his mojo back, to see that big smile on his face – he lights up a room when he walks in.

“His popularity in Formula 1 … even though he’s not driving, he’s still probably the most popular driver here, and for us, it’s just positive to have him in the team, contributing to the team, to the drivers, to the engineering team.

“Hopefully he’ll rediscover his love for the sport. He’ll do a bit of testing for us later in the year and we’ll see how that goes for him. But I think it’s a different experience. He’s thrown himself (in) and (is) embracing his new role.”

Asked about how prepared Ricciardo would hypothetically be to fill in for either Verstappen or Perez at a moment’s notice, Horner was full of confidence in the 33-year-old.

“I’d say he’s about 10 minutes away from being ready! He’s in good shape; he’s kept himself fit and well. I think that he’s training hard and he’s ready to go given the chance,” he said.

Originally published as Daniel Ricciardo lays out criteria for F1 return