Is Daniel Ricciardo on the verge of competing in his last Formula 1 Grand Prix? Indeed, the Australian’s future remains uncertain.
With Liam Lawson knocking at Faenza’s door and Yuki Tsunoda unlikely to be ejected from the Red Bull pipeline, it is logically Daniel Ricciardo’s future that is at risk. At 35 years old with 255 starts, Ricciardo arguably represents the past more than the future.
If he wants to secure his place in F1 for next year, Daniel Ricciardo will have to double his efforts in the upcoming Grand Prix races. It is a ‘do or die’ moment, and he is aware of it.
“It needs to be the mindset, and if I feel like I’m diminishing this attitude… I need to shake myself up a bit and make sure that isn’t the case.”
“When there’s something at stake, when the pressure is a bit higher, it somehow strengthens the spark in me and keeps me from feeling a bit more relaxed or anything else.”
“I will continue to ensure my future depends on me, in the sense that if I perform well, they won’t find a reason to do anything. And ultimately, that’s where I’ll stop. I know if I perform well, I’m good. So, if I focus on myself, it shouldn’t affect me. And that’s what I’m focusing on.”
“These are very important races coming up. But even if, for one reason or another, they weren’t, even if I signed a contract today, I would have to tell myself that they are because I think that’s when I function best.”
No regrets about leaving Red Bull?
Who knows where Daniel Ricciardo would be today if he hadn’t decided to leave Red Bull for Renault at the end of 2018?
But it’s a decision the Australian still does not regret today.
“I don’t look back with regret, but I am also aware that the decision I made in 2018… I felt it was the right thing to do. From that perspective, I don’t regret it.”
“But was it the best decision I ever made? Would my career be different? Yes. But that doesn’t guarantee that I would have won a world championship or anything like that. But of course, that decision was the most controversial I’ve ever made.”
Dismissed by McLaren F1 due to insufficient performances, Daniel Ricciardo admits to having doubted himself and experiencing some tough, even dark, moments regarding mental health.
“By the end of 2022, I knew I wouldn’t be participating in the 2023 F1 season. I was uncertain about my life, my career, what I was going to do… I was certainly a bit sad because it might have been the last time I raced in F1. Deep down, I was still sad if it ended like that… I don’t know if I was ready for that.”
“I was conflicted and I also knew I needed time to figure out what I wanted and where my heart was. I wouldn’t say I was going through a depression or anything like that, but I was certainly experiencing some things and needed to understand them.”
“It’s a bit scary because it’s all I’ve known my entire life, but sometimes these things open your eyes to other things and it was a good period. I look back at it now and I’m glad it all happened.”
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Is This the End? Ricciardo’s Uncertain F1 Future Looms Is This the End? Ricciardo’s Uncertain F1 Future Looms. f1 2024 Is This the End? Ricciardo’s Uncertain F1 Future Looms
