Daniel Ricciardo may find himself alongside Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen in Mercedes or Red Bull in 2023 as the Aussie’s struggles continue.
Daniel Ricciardo has indicated that he is open to taking a possible seat at Mercedes, Ferrari, or Red Bull as a reserve driver. The Aussie has a good relationship with both Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. This can help Ricciardo to bag the seat as the 33-year-old tries to restart his career.
Ricciardo is set to leave McLaren after the 2022 season. The honey badger will be replaced by his Australian counterpart Oscar Piastri from 2023 onwards.
The 33-year-old is rumored to have received a pay-off worth $ 25 million to terminate the contract early.
This means that Ricciardo is searching for a seat for the 2023 season.
Ricciardo wants to stay active although a break is an option
Daniel Ricciardo is linked with multiple teams for a possible F1 seat.
“I’m pretty open minded with any scenario. I think there’s pros and cons with all of it,”
he said.
“There’s pros with having some time off as well, currently the 18 months I’ve had has been more challenging than not so maybe some time away would be good.
“But then also staying active is good. That’s why I kind of want to hear everything. Even if it’s a reserve, I don’t want to be too proud to say I’m too good for that.
“I just want to hear everything and see what makes sense. It could be something that sets me up better for the future and next year may be one of those years where I need a bit of patience.”
Given his amity with both Hamilton and Verstappen, Ricciardo might get to drive in the same team even if it is only in the garage and not alongside them.
Verstappen and Hamilton have reacted to the news
Both Hamilton and Verstappen are well aware of the axing of the Aussie. The duo have certainly shared their views on how things unfolded:
“It’s really unfortunate for Daniel but I really, really hope that…[he finds a place],”
Hamilton said back in August.
“I still think he deserves a place here in the sport so I really hope there is somewhere great for him because he has still got lots to achieve.”
Hamilton has never actually worked with Ricciardo. Regardless, both have the common McLaren link and Mercedes can look at Ricciardo as a replacement for Hamilton whose retirement is inching closer.
On the other hand, Ricciardo left Red Bull on rather bad terms. Team principal Christian Horner was certainly not pleased by the abrupt move by the Australian back in 2019.
However, his amity with Verstappen can help the 33-year-old get the return to his old team.
“He’s a great guy, he’s an amazing driver,”
Verstappen said.
“I hope he stays in Formula 1 but we have to wait and see where that will be.”
Of course, everyone will love to see Ricciardo on the grid again. However, does Ricciardo really wants to continue or not is a question? Is the Aussie still hungry for winning or not?
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