Daniel Ricciardo reveals talks with this team before moving to Red Bull

After stints with HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing, Renault, and McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo will, for the first time since his Formula 1 debut, not be seen on the F1 grid when the new season gets underway.

Mid-way through the 2022 season, McLaren announced that they were parting ways with the Australian, instead choosing to hedge their bets on his 21-year-old compatriot Oscar Piastri.

Despite being linked with a host of teams, Ricciardo has decided to spend a year away from the spotlight. He has returned to Red Bull, where he will act as a reserve driver for 2023.

For the first time since announcing his split with McLaren, he has opened up about the various teams he had discussions with for the 2023 season. In a recent episode of Formula 1's Beyond The Grid podcast, Daniel Ricciardo 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."

He continued:

"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.”

Daniel Ricciardo 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.”

The 33-year-old did not shy away from stating that he experienced a 'burnout' and stated that he would return to the sport stronger. Daniel Ricciardo said:

“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.”

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McLaren paid Daniel Ricciardo $18 million in financial compensation

McLaren's split with Daniel Ricciardo wasn't a straightforward affair as the Australian had a contract with the team until 2023. After Oscar Piastri turned down Alpine's offer and showed interest in McLaren, they worked quickly to reach an amicable agreement with Ricciardo to terminate his contract.

According to reports from RacingNews365, the 33-year-old was paid $18 million by the Woking-based team for terminating his contract a year before its expiry.