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Daniel Ricciardo's future is the talk of the town for everyone right now. The driver has seen himself lose his drive for the 2023 F1 season to fellow Australian Oscar Piastri. With that, he finds himself in a tough spot where he faces an uncertain future in front of him.
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It is amongst all of this that rumors have emerged of supposed talks between Daniel Ricciardo and Mercedes for a reserve driver role for the 2023 F1 season. While that would mean that the Australian finds himself off the grid next season, we feel, this might just be what Ricciardo needs at this moment.
Daniel Ricciardo needs a break!
If there is one thing that is blatantly obvious right now, it is the fact that the Australian looks somewhat jaded in the paddock. The driver has been through a lot at McLaren in the last year and a half and it shows on his face as well. The patented smile is still there, but it's more labored than before.
Not many fans have fully understood the gravity of the situation Daniel Ricciardo finds himself in right now and how the last 18 odd months have turned his career upside down. Lest we forget, at the start of the 2021 F1 season, Ricciardo was this big signing for McLaren that it had swooped from Renault.
The Australian joined the team after an impressive 2020 F1 season with Renault where he scored multiple podiums and even beat McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz in the championship. Since joining McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo's world has been turned upside down.
He's been decimated by his teammate Lando Norris, he cannot drive the car at its limit (something he has alluded to many times), and he's being made to look like a bad driver who had all of a sudden lost his form for no reason. In all of this, the constant media speculation has drained him completely and he lacks confidence while he's out on track.
This was something similar to what happened to Sebastian Vettel when he was at Ferrari in 2020. The German lost his confidence and would even take a few races with Aston Martin to regain it. Ricciardo is going through the same where he's laboring his way through an F1 weekend. A break from all of this for a year to clear his mind and bring back the hunger won't be a bad thing.
There's no attractive seat available
At the moment, there are no attractive seats for the 2023 F1 season left for the taking. Alpine is apparently not interested in Daniel Ricciardo, which is a bit of a surprise, Aston Martin does not have a vacancy, and Haas is just not a place Ricciardo would want to find himself in.
Just holding on to a seat at the back of the grid is not the kind of hustle that Ricciardo would be looking for at this stage of his career. The Australian has made his way through the ranks. He's done his time at the back in a Toro Rosso in the early years of his career. He would not be looking to just make up the numbers on the grid.
Unlike many other drivers on the grid, Daniel Ricciardo has used his marketing appeal well. He has multiple sources of income that vary from the wine company that he started last year and other sponsorships. The driver has been one of the more well-paid individuals in the paddock for a while and is not desperate to race next season.
In that scenario, going to Mercedes in a reserve driver role could just be a nice way for him to take a break from the sport and still stay connected.
The F1 ecosystem could be quite different next season
Compared to the current F1 ecosystem, things could be quite different next season. Lewis Hamilton could find it hard to continue to compete with George Russell and a retirement could be in play. Audi's presence could finally materialize as the picture gets clearer for the automotive giant.
To add to this, it also becomes clear whether Porsche will join the sport or not under the new regulations. Compared to the current F1 ecosystem, where there are hardly any credible seats available for Daniel Ricciardo to fit in, there might be a few that could open up next season.
A refreshed Ricciardo with a possible option to join Mercedes, Audi, maybe even Porsche, or any other team, is a better situation to be in than the current rundown version of the Australian slotting himself in a Williams or a Haas just to stick around in the sport.
At the career stage that Ricciardo finds himself in right now, a move to Mercedes as a reserve driver might just be the best thing for him. It will be interesting to see if he thinks that way or not.
