Daniel Ricciardo will not be on the grid in 2023

The possibilities were becoming increasingly limited. Since the signing of Oscar Piastri with McLaren in 2023, the chances of seeing Daniel Ricciardo on the grid next year were increasingly low. The driver market has even accelerated in the past few hours with two other seats being filled: those of Alpine and AlphaTauri.

This left only one seat available at Williams. However, the Australian will not take it. After several weeks of suspense, he made it clear that he will not be among the starters.

« To be honest, I was aware of Gasly’s move to Alpine. I knew they had been in discussions for a while and were very interested in Pierre. Let’s just say I was prepared for it and it wasn’t a surprise, so we tried to deal with it and understand what would come next. But I think the reality now is that I won’t be on the grid in 2023. It’s now about trying to prepare for 2024. I think there could be better opportunities at that time, that’s really what all of this confirms and that’s where the goals are now set, explained the Australian.

Head to Mercedes?

Daniel Ricciardo could then turn to the role of a third driver. Several rumors suggest he could join Mercedes. In Singapore, the honey badger was even spotted in the German team’s hospitality area. Regardless, the Australian wants to remain connected to Formula 1.

« I see things as if I press pause for a little while. As for my career in F1, I fully intend to continue pursuing it in 2024. It’s true that it could open opportunities to maybe do other things, but if I feel that it will veer off from my goal, then I will always say that it’s not the direction I’m looking at.

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« As fun or cool as it may sound to switch to another category, the truth is that I’m not there mentally yet. I’m still very, very committed [to F1] and I think some time away from the cockpit will do me good. I’ll probably take advantage of it, rather than trying to jump into something else and stay busy in another category. »

Present in F1 since 2011 thanks to HRT, Daniel Ricciardo has won on 8 occasions and secured 3 pole positions. Last year, he allowed McLaren to return to victory at Monza.