Daniel Ricciardo has continued to believe he will return to the track despite everything. In the Beyond the Grid podcast, he explains that he has deliberately chosen to take on a slightly lesser role next season to properly orientate himself towards his future.
With the termination of his contract at McLaren, it seemed for a while that Ricciardo would leave Formula 1 for good. All the seats at the top teams and in midfield had already been fixed, and taking a seat at Haas or Williams was definitely not an option for Ricciardo. Finally, after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final decision came: Ricciardo will become a reserve driver at Red Bull and will do simulation work for his old team.
Ricciardo himself has always been confident that he will stay with the sport. " Of course at different times I have thought, 'This is it, I'm done now'," he explained. "But still, I never truly believed that Abu Dhabi would be my last race. I can't say now whether it is or not, time will have to tell. But that is why I chose to take some time off to really find the answer and not make an emotional decision or a quick decision."
Despite everything, Ricciardo is happy that he can still remain involved in Formula 1. "There is definitely still a fire," he adds. "That's also why I haven't chosen to completely walk away. I want to see what happens to that fire now. Does it stay dormant, or does it come back and come back in a big way?"