"That fire, that belief is still in me"- Here's how Daniel Ricciardo plans to pick himself up after leaving McLaren at the end of 2022 F1 season

Daniel Ricciardo looks on from the drivers parade prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 28, 2022 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Daniel Ricciardo believes that he has learnt to deal with disappointment in his career without stopping to believe in his ability to achieve success. The Australian feels that he has managed to redeem himself mentally from the setback and is ready to look forward to new opportunities in the future.

Speaking on how he is dealing with the disappointment of losing his drive, Ricciardo said:

“I think I’ve learned to deal with it over time. For sure, now this is another challenge, another hurdle, but I simply see it as, if I want to pick myself up, I will. As I said that, that fire, that belief is still in me. So it’s really just a choice that, you know, if I want to make that choice, I can. And obviously, I don’t have every option on the grid or anything, you know, and it’s not like I can race wherever I want but in terms of just from a self-worth point of view, absolutely.”

Losing his McLaren drive a year before his contract is supposed to end has been disappointing for Daniel Ricciardo, especially with the way 'silly season' has played out this year.

Reflecting back upon his career in the sport and the challenges he faced, the McLaren driver said:

“I think like picking myself up is, I don’t want to say it’s easy, but it’s something I feel I’m very capable of doing. This is certainly a big moment in time for my career. But even if things aren’t maybe always highlighted you’re always going through challenges, or you always have to pick yourself up you know.’’

He continued:

“I remember actually here in 2008, when I was racing in the Formula Renault Junior category, it was like a Saturday night before the race on Sunday, and I got like a real pep talk. I was just in one of those moments in my career at the time and I still hadn’t yet made it but I knew that I really had to pull my head in kind of thing and start making it happen. So you always go through these… I mean, no one has a perfect career.”

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Daniel Ricciardo is not ruling out the option of a sabbatical from F1

While F1 remains the primary option for 2023 in his career, Daniel Ricciardo is not ruling out the possibility of taking a short break from F1. The former Red Bull driver believes if a sabbatical helps him reevaluate his options and gather himself again, he might consider it.

On whether he will take a sabbatical or consider participating in other motorsport championships, Daniel Ricciardo said:

“If it made sense? Yes. If it makes sense. It’s the only racing I’m interested in at this stage of my career. F1, it's what I love and it’s where I see myself if I’m doing any racing. But as I said, if, let’s say, the stars don’t align, and it doesn’t make perfect sense next year, and if it means taking that time off to kind of reset or re-evaluate, then if that’s the right thing to do, then I’m willing to.”

Once considered a potential world champion, Daniel Ricciardo has not been able to deliver performances at the same level as he did with Renault or Red Bull. Leaving the Milton Keynes squad has been speculated as one of the biggest mistakes of his career and joining McLaren has marked his decline.