"18 is a good number"- Daniel Ricciardo on ideal number of races in an F1 calendar

Daniel Ricciardo feels that 18 races is a good number for an F1 calendar amidst rumors of the 2023 F1 calendar having 24 races. The Australian was asked by the media what would be the ideal number of races that he would prefer in a season. The driver said he would more or less prefer around 18 races a season because of media obligations before and after a weekend that extends a race weekend to almost 5 days.

The Australian said,

“I think like around that mark that 18 is a good number. It’s also the stuff, like, the race weekend are… they’re four, sometimes five day weekends. And then, if you’ve got those back-to-back, or triple-headers, that’s what’s tiring.”

Daniel Ricciardo was flexible in the number of races and said that the calendar could have 24 races. In that case there needed to be a more organized and compressed race weekend for the drivers to not get burned out. The Australian said,

“I think we could race 24 times [a year] and be okay, but the week has to look different to be able to achieve that properly. The schedules need to change, and the lelead-upeeds to change, but it’s hard when the sport’s growing and you’re getting more sponsors and all the rest of it, it’s hard to then cut time. If they still want the time, then I think 18 [races] is a good number.”

Speaking of the 2023 F1 season, Daniel Ricciardo's future itself does not look certain. The driver will most likely not drive for McLaren next season as Oscar Piastri is expected to take his seat.

There could be a scenario where Daniel Ricciardo finds himself out of a seat for the 2023 F1 season.

Ralf Schumacher feels Daniel Ricciardo will not get another chance in F1

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher feels Ricciardo might not get another shot at F1 once he leaves McLaren. Speaking to SkyGermany, Schumacher pitched in names like Mick Schumacher (he's out of a contract at the end of the season) and Nico Hulkenberg as possible candidates to drive for the team. Schumacher said,

“The names are there, with every cockpit. Mick [Schumacher] hasn’t signed a contract yet either. So he would be a candidate. A candidate with speed, as you can see. Nico Hülkenberg is also still in the starting blocks. And then there's the question of Daniel Ricciardo. Personally, I can't imagine that he'll get another chance in Formula 1. But I wouldn't know who Alpine should take at the moment."

Ricciardo's future might just turn into one of the hot topics of the 2022 F1 season by the looks of it.