Damon Hill does not think a role as a reserve driver at a top
Formula 1 team is a bad choice for
Daniel Ricciardo. The information involved in such a role could potentially be useful for the Australian's future in the sport.
Ricciardo does not yet have a confirmed seat for 2023. It is starting to look more and more like the Australian will not be seen full time in F1 next year, as the teams with free seats for 2023 seem to have other candidates in mind.
According to the latest reports, there is a good chance we could see
Nyck de Vries driving at AlphaTauri next year, making
Pierre Gasly's move to Alpine possible.
Williams is said to be interested in junior Logan Sargeant, while Haas is still unsure whether
Mick Schumacher will be allowed to stay with the team. Among others, the names of
Nico Hulkenberg and
Antonio Giovinazzi have already been mentioned. Finally, Alfa Romeo seems to be satisfied with the performance of
Guanyu Zhou.
Ricciardo as reserve driver?
Still, we may see Ricciardo without an F1 seat in the sport next season after all. Rumours are circulating that link the Australian with a role as a reserve driver at
Mercedes. Ricciardo himself is open to several possibilities, but the
McLaren driver also does not rule out taking a year off before returning in 2024.
Former F1 driver Hill does think it is a logical choice for Ricciardo to become a reserve driver at a top team. "I think there is some logic to that. If you’re at least with a top team, even if you’re in the wings and waiting for the right opportunity, you will have information that is useful to another team perhaps, potentially", Hill says on Sky Sports.