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Daniel Ricciardo's recent comments when it comes to his future in F1 have left quite a few fans surprised. The Australian first made an appearance in the paddock at Albert Park and made everyone realize how big of a celebrity he really is.
The fanfare and following throughout the 2023 F1 Australian GP was obvious. It also became clear that Ricciardo still has his star power and if he's able to get his mojo back, he could prove to be one of the biggest assets for any team in F1.
Ricciardo has talked about reigniting the motivation that was on its last legs at McLaren in the last few races. Having said that, what comes as a surprise is the demands that the Australian appears to be making as the conditions for a comeback next season.
In an interview with Top Gear, here's what Ricciardo said:
"But I think it’s clear what I don’t want. I don’t want [just] any seat next year, as much as I think I want to be racing again. I don’t want to just start from zero and kind of build my career from scratch."
"It’s not coming from an arrogant place, but I’m just past that. I don’t think that’s going to stimulate me or give me that second wind I’m looking for. So it makes the top seats even scarcer, but that’s where I know I will be able to perform at my best and thrive. That’s the sort of stuff I’m keeping my eyes on."
While the comments could give the impression of a driver who is banking on himself and his talent, it reeks of delusion. To be fair, if this is the stance that Ricciardo continues to take, then a return to F1 next season seems highly unlikely.
How is Daniel Ricciardo perceived at the moment?
One of the major things that Daniel Ricciardo needs to keep in mind is the fact that he's not looked at as an elite driver on the F1 grid. When we talk about elite drivers, the names that tend to be mentioned are Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and Fernando Alonso. Last season when he took a sabbatical, he wasn't considered an equal to these drivers.
Ricciardo is, at best, a wildcard. Someone who might have lost his mojo forever or someone who was just unable to make it work at McLaren. The thing is, when it comes to picking an elite driver, teams have far too many options right now.
What are his options?
This is where things get interesting because, on the face of it, Daniel Ricciardo does not have too many options. He's not getting a seat at Mercedes, Ferrari, or Aston Martin. These three teams are more or less not looking at the Australian for now. Even Red Bull, where he probably has the best odds, seems improbable as the Perez-Verstappen partnership is highly likely not to implode.
With no spot available in the top four teams, even the midfield looks packed at the moment. Alpine is not an option, nor is McLaren or AlphaTauri. The options left for Ricciardo are Williams, Haas, and Sauber.
It's highly likely that an offer from both Haas and Sauber could be on the table. Keeping its long-term potential in mind, Sauber and its Audi connections are the most suited partnership. Having said that, if Ricciardo is not looking to sign with a midfield team, he'll have to sit out for another year.
Learn from the legends!
Daniel Ricciardo has been reticent when it comes to restarting his career and feels that he can do the best job if he's driving a frontrunner. Well, there's nothing wrong with such aspirations, but if there is one thing Ricciardo can learn from history, it is how he should retrace the steps taken by legends like Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.
Both Raikkonen and Alonso were forced to take breaks in their F1 careers. In Kimi's case, it was post-2009 and he made his return two years later. Alonso also took a sabbatical from F1 at the end of 2018 and made a return in 2021. One common theme for both of them was the fact that they had to join unfancied outfits and prove they were still good enough.
Raikkonen had to join Lotus, a team that was at best a midfield contender while Alonso moved to Alpine, another midfield contender. It was only after proving that they still had it did both drivers get opportunities at better teams.
Keep in mind that neither Raikkonen nor Alonso had the drastic fall in stock that Ricciardo has suffered in his last two active racing years. The Australian might have to accept the reality that no top team is going to take the gamble on him.
However, a midfield team might. He needs to spend a year in midfield, get his groove back, and then target a front-running unit.
Be smart Daniel, F1 fans are fickle
Most importantly for Daniel Ricciardo, he needs to keep in mind that F1 fans are as fickle as they get. He might have crazy support for now but the sport moves on very quickly. 'Out of sight, out of mind' is a real phenomenon and if Ricciardo is away from racing long enough, fans will forget how good he was.
Being confident and having a very high opinion of oneself is an impressive trait, but Ricciardo is almost sounding delusional if his aim is only to join a front-running team. Unless something drastic happens at Red Bull, that is not happening and if that's what Ricciardo is pinning his future on, he can kiss that goodbye.
Ricciardo needs to drop the ego, eat the humble pie and sign with a midfield team unless he wants to take another year off.
