Daniel Ricciardo looks back at odd '23: 'I don't want it to stop'

A lot happened to Ricciardo, and what he particularly remembers after the 2023 season? "Some metal in my hand," laughs the Australian in his familiar way. "I think when I look back on this year, it's a year I never would have expected in so many ways. I didn't expect to be racing at all this year, let alone kind of going through everything else. So it's something that I'm definitely happy [about]."

Ricciardo is hungry

After a nastily ended adventure at McLaren, Ricciardo found joy in the sport again via a reserve role at Red Bull Racing and a race seat at AlphaTauri. "You know, the place I am and what I feel, let's say inside my heart ultimately, I'm really in a happy place, and I'm happy being here racing again. I'd say like, just fully hungry and motivated."

"And yeah, it's probably the first off-season that I would not really want an off-season, you know. I want to keep racing and keep a bit of the flow going. But also the thought of having a little bit of a break and getting myself prepared for next year, that excites me as well," said Ricciardo, who faces an important season. It is no secret that the Australian is on Red Bull's radar to relieve Sergio Perez as Max Verstappen's teammate for '25. To do so, Ricciardo does need to prove he deserves that spot next year.