Ricciardo on break from F1: 'This is exactly what I wanted'

When Ricciardo was initially announced as a 'third driver' at Red Bull, it was not immediately clear what his role would be. Indeed, in addition to Ricciardo, Liam Lawson, Zane Maloney and Dennis Hauger were also announced as reserve drivers, and pretty soon Max Verstappen made it clear that he would prefer to keep doing his own simulator work.

It is now clear that Ricciardo will be the first choice if a substitute is needed, though. Ricciardo himself provides some additional clarity on his other duties. " In the paddock, still with the mindset of being a racecar driver," the Australian explained. "So I’m still in all the engineering meetings, listening to the drivers during the session. So when I go back to the simulator, I can kinda use all that knowledge to think about some set-up things. I think we all want the car to be faster. And then it’s up to you, how you drive it ultimately on a sunday afternoon."

Ricciardo happy with time off

Fanning has followed a similar career path to Ricciardo, and the two men therefore talk candidly about what it was like to step away from their sports. Although Ricciardo regularly stresses that he wants to return to Formula 1 next season, he also acknowledges that being away from the wheel of a racing car for a while is very pleasant. "So far, it’s everything I’ve wanted. I think even just having time to myself, some downtime. Just kinda touching on things that got me to the dance."