Formula 1: Daniel Ricciardo talks ‘little perk’ of not driving in 2023

For the first time since 2010, Daniel Ricciardo doesn’t have a Formula 1 ride. Instead, he is back with Red Bull, something he never would have anticipated.

Daniel Ricciardo initially had a contract with McLaren that ran through the end of the 2023 Formula 1 season. It was deal he signed in 2020, before his second and final season with Renault.

However, despite both sides insisting that they remained committed to one another amid Ricciardo’s struggles, McLaren opted to sign rookie Oscar Piastri to take his place, a move that resulted in Ricciardo losing his ride for 2023. McLaren ended up paying him $18 million to end his deal a year early.

Ricciardo held talks with a few other teams about remaining on the grid for a 13th straight season in 2023, but nothing ultimately came together.

For the first time since he made his Formula 1 debut in 2011, Daniel Ricciardo doesn’t have a ride this year.

His 232-race start streak, good for second longest in the history of the sport, is set to come to an end when the season begins on Sunday, March 5 with the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit.

Instead, he finds himself back with Red Bull, where he competed from 2014 to 2018 and earned seven of his eight victories, along with his two career-high third place finishes in the driver standings.

The 33-year-old Australian is set to serve in the third driver role for the Milton Keynes-based team, meaning that he is set to be involved in testing, simulator work, and commercial activities.

Asked by Beyond the Flag about whether or not a return to Red Bull was even remotely on his radar when he was informed that he was going to lose his McLaren ride, Ricciardo discussed the process.

“At first, it definitely wasn’t,” Ricciardo admitted. “At first, it was probably a bit more like a panic, in a way. It’s like, oh my gosh, what do I do now? What’s next? What does this mean? So it’s kind of all these more like panic thoughts.

“It’s something that, I guess like anything, if you’re not fully prepared for it, then it catches you a little bit off guard and you’re a bit surprised. I wouldn’t say I went into a frenzy, but it sends you into a bit of a frenzy.”

Ricciardo ultimately came to terms with being without a ride for 2023, especially after a difficult two-year run with McLaren, and realized that it may be for the best.

“I think after, let’s say, a month played out and I was talking to some other teams, I was kind of like, I knew deep down I wasn’t really there,” he continued. “I was like, am I just doing this to stay on the grid? Is it truly what I want? So then when I was kind of more honest about it to myself, I actually think I wanted a year off.

“That’s when it was kind of like the lightbulb and it was like Red Bull is that place. Their interest [in me] as well – it happened very quickly. We were both just like, this makes sense.

“I think for me having some of that comfort, going back to a place that was familiar for me after obviously a difficult couple years, it was just like – yeah! It got done very quickly. It seemed very obvious once it hit us.”

Ricciardo, a huge American sports fan, discussed one of the perks of being without a full-time ride in 2023 — the fact that he gets to do some of the things outside of Formula 1 that he has always wanted to do.

That starts with Super Bowl LVII this Sunday in Arizona.

“I’m going to be there next week, which is really cool!” Ricciardo, a huge Buffalo Bills fan, exclaimed. “That’s another little perk of, yes, I’m not racing this year, but the upside is I will get to do some fun things which deep down I’ve wanted to, I guess, for a long time and scratch some itches. Super Bowl! It will be fun.”

He is taking the Philadelphia Eagles to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs.

“I’m a Bills guy so I wish they were there, but I’m going to say Eagles,” he said. “Early on, I remember watching their games, I felt like the defense was, at least in my eyes, setting them apart. I felt like that was just such a strength and I feel like that will be the decider in the Super Bowl. But for the record, I’m no pro analysis guy! So don’t take my word for it! But I feel the Eagles are going to win.”