Ricciardo: 'Never really believed it would be my last race'

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?"