'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Daniel Ricciardo will be on a sabbatical next season as the Australian's contract with McLaren was cut short by the team after a string of poor performances. While he did have the opportunity to probably go to a team like Haas (apparently an offer was made by Guenther Steiner), Ricciardo opted not to do that and will instead be a reserve driver for Red Bull Racing next season.
It is safe to say that the whole experience will be humbling for Ricciardo, who returns to the team he left in 2018. The bigger question, however, is whether he will be able to find his way back to F1 after spending a year away from the sport.
Can Daniel Ricciardo make his way back to F1? Let's find out.
Does the sabbatical make sense?
The move to spend a year away from the sport was questioned by quite a few Formula 1 pundits, but if we look at it from Daniel Ricciardo's point of view, it made sense. The last two years were not only stressful but also mentally taxing for him.
Hired by McLaren to be the experienced driver alongside Lando Norries, Ricciardo's performances were just not what the team or even he would have been happy with. It's no secret that he tried everything in his power to understand what was going on and get more comfortable with the car. However, it just did not work for him.
After spending years as the lead driver in all the teams he was a part of and quietly picking up a string of good results, this was a new experience for the 33-year-old. More importantly, he knew he could do a better job but was handicapped by something that he was unable to put a finger on.
The two years at McLaren did take a lot out of Daniel Ricciardo and left him mentally exhausted. For someone that has, to an extent, fallen out of the prospect of turning up for a race weekend, you need some time off.
In all fairness, it does appear that Ricciardo understands that and did not want to jump into another team without rekindling that fire inside him. Was a sabbatical the right decision for him? Well, if the other alternative was driving for Haas, then yes, a sabbatical is probably not as bad as some are making it out to be.
What possible seats will be available for the 2024 F1 season?
Now, the crucial question when discussing Ricciardo's future is whether there will be options for the driver next season. Looking ahead to the end of the 2024 F1 season, the possible openings could be at
- Red Bull Racing (if the team is looking to replace Perez)
- Aston Martin (if the Fernando Alonso partnership capitulates)
- Alfa Romeo/Sauber/Audi
- Haas
A seat at Red Bull could open up if the partnership with Sergio Perez stops working for the team. What happened in Brazil this season gave us a glimpse of a somewhat fractious relationship between Perez and Max Verstappen. There were also question marks over the Mexican's on-track performances after Charles Leclerc, in a comparatively worse car, was able to beat him to second place in the World Drivers' Championship.
If Perez fails to step up or his relationship with Verstappen doesn't improve, the team might look to replace him, with Daniel Ricciardo already within the ranks and readily available.
Aston Martin is also a possibility, especially because of the presence of two mercurial forces like Fernando Alonso and Lawrence Stroll being present under the same roof. If Alonso can find fault in a team that has had its best championship finish since it rejoined the sport, one has to wonder what he would find in a project that has potentially been more hit-and-miss since its inception.
Alfa Romeo/Audi/Sauber is a possibility as well because Andreas Seidl always had great things to say about Ricciardo and replacing Valtteri Bottas with the Australian is a no-brainer in so many ways. To add to that, a driver like Daniel Ricciardo could look at the long-term potential of Audi taking over the team and find the project appealing.
Finally, Haas is going to be an option, especially with Kevin Magnussen having a somewhat up-and-down season on his return to the sport in 2022. The Danish driver's contract ends at the end of the 2023 season and the team could possibly be looking for a replacement.
Does Daniel Ricciardo have a shot at either of those seats?
Red Bull
Realistically, it will take a lot of things to go wrong for Sergio Perez to run out of favor at Red Bull. It could surely happen, there is no doubt about it, but things will have to go wrong at catastrophic levels for him to get the boot.
It's safe to say that Daniel Ricciardo's return to Red Bull is primarily a marketing gimmick and stars will have to align perfectly for the Australian to get that seat.
Aston Martin
It's safe to say that the Fernando Alonso-Aston Martin partnership has all the potential to self-immolate. Having said that, it's going to take more than a year for the Spaniard to lose confidence in the project and throw his toys out of the pram.
Aston Martin is a project that should appeal to Daniel Ricciardo if the offer is on the table. Having said that, expecting an offer on the table next season might not be the most realistic thing.
Alfa Romeo/Audi/Sauber
Perhaps the most realistic option for the Australian is a shot at Alfa Romeo/Sauber/Audi. Valtteri Bottas, in his first season with the team, did a decent job but it's safe to say that a driver like Daniel Ricciardo would probably hold precedence if he was available over the Finnish driver.
To add to this, from the 2024 F1 season onwards, Audi's influence is expected to increase within the team as the Alfa Romeo partnership ends. The long-term potential and Audi's exploits across the many motorsport leagues they have been a part of make for a very attractive proposition and an opportunity worth exploring for the Australian.
Haas
Ricciardo could once again find himself with an offer from Haas on the table. If the Australian has reached a level of desperation next year where he has to return to the F1 grid at any cost and there is no other offer on the table then Haas could possibly be the team he might end up saying yes to.
Conclusion
Looking at the possible scenarios, there is surely a possibility that Daniel Ricciardo could find himself back on the grid. Can we say with any certainty that the Australian will be back on the F1 grid in 2024 or even in the future? The answer is no, the F1 world is far too dynamic to make such calls.
Having said that, drivers like Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, and Nico Hulkenberg proved that driver returns are more frequent than one might think. Daniel Ricciardo only needs to bide his time for an opportunity to arise.
