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VCarb driver Daniel Ricciardo stated that the crash in Zandvoort in the FP2 session did temporarily take the 'wind out of his sails' following his return to the sport.
The 2023 season was a stop-start one for the Aussie driver as he returned to racing after a gap of six months to replace Nyck de Vries at the former AlphaTauri team in Hungary. However, his return to F1 was jeopardized after he injured his hand in the crash in the FP2 session at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Speaking with Motorsport.com, Daniel Ricciardo admitted that he was 'motivated' and 'hungry' on his return just two races in and the crash did jolt his progress. He said:
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“I just felt hungry and motivated again, like my old self, and I was loving it. So then for that to happen, it did temporarily take a bit of wind out of my sails.
“I just tried to think ahead, to the quickest way I can get better and recover again, and I just refused to let the hard work I'd put in the whole year to get back to that place come undone because of an injury."
Daniel Ricciardo on pursuing other 'hobbies' in his time away from F1
The former McLaren driver spoke about the importance of pursuing other 'hobbies' and 'interests' away from the sport in his time off last as it took the fear of retiring from F1 from him.
Daniel Ricciardo said:
"I wanted to make sure that I was still able to have other hobbies and interests in life because coming back into the sport, kind of makes it feel as serious as I want to take it. It just made it feel like it's not the be-all and, end-all. So yeah, I did choose to do things and pursue other avenues of life.
"And also make sure that I've got other passions and interests and not have a fear of retiring one day ultimately. But I knew I needed time to let that settle and understand truly what my heart desired. And ultimately, I felt like I was getting that answer more and more,"
Daniel Ricciardo has an opportunity to once again race with the top teams in F1 if performs well with the VCarb team in the 2024 season. A good run would firmly put him in contention as a potential replacement for Sergio Perez in Red Bull for 2025.
