Daniel Ricciardo believes ditching 2023 drive ultimately the right career decision

Daniel Ricciardo feels taking a sabbatical for the 2023 F1 season was the best thing that he could have done.

The Australian was signed by McLaren as their lead driver in 2021. However, two seasons of underperforming when compared to teammate Lando Norris meant that Daniel Ricciardo's contract was cut short and he didn't have a seat for the 2023 F1 season.

Although there were rumors linking him to a seat at Haas for the 2023 F1 season, Daniel Riccardo chose to take the reserve driver role with Red Bull and a year away from the sport.

In a recent interview on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Daniel Ricciardo revealed what his thought process was through all of this. He said,

"There was a couple of times where [Ferrari] was linked. But, I think coming back to a seat next year as Guenther [Steiner, Haas Team Principal] said, he reached out and stuff."

"The more… days that passed and, especially as I did the triple-header to get back into the second half of the season – so three days on the bounce – it became more and more clear that it wasn’t about what phone call I was receiving; it was about me acknowledging that I just ultimately don’t want to be competing next year."

He added,

“So, in a way I am glad that, let’s say, a top team didn’t reach out because it's one of those ones where you probably feel, ‘Oh, I’ve got to sign it’ but I think deep down I was just craving a bit of distance.”

I know what I want: Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo did not deny the possibility of burnout coming into play but felt that it was just a case of him knowing what he needed to do to get things in order. He explained:

“Yeah, you could call it some burnout but I’m not afraid to admit that or say that, and it’s one of those ones where, you know, everyone will have an opinion and this and that. But it’s ultimately that I know what I feel, I know what I want. It was some of that."

He added:

“And I feel very... I don’t want to say that I’m the only driver that feels this way but I would say that I’m not the normal sportsman where I kind of just use ‘practice makes perfect’."

"The more I do sometimes, the more I’m just like getting kind of lost in it, where I kind of feel like the power of a break for me, some time off, I could come back better. I know for me that could actually be really good.”

Daniel Ricciardo will be hoping to make a comeback to the sport in 2024. He will be eagerly looking at how the Red Bull-Sergio Perez relationship develops over the year.