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Daniel Ricciardo has said that his decision to take a sabbatical next season is to refresh and rebuild himself after a mentally taxing season where he did not perform to the best of his abilities.
Talking to Speedcafe, the Australian opened up on fears of regression after a season where he was bested by his teammate Lando Norris for the second time in as many years.
Explaining his decision to sign with Red Bull as a test driver for 2023, Ricciardo said:
"It’s certainly a way to still stay involved and to give me the time necessary to take a back step. As the second half of the season went on, I just needed to step away for a bit, rebuild myself, reset a bit, and also just find the intense love for it. Because, at this level, if you don’t have that, then I'm not doing justice for myself or anyone around me. I'm not saying I've lost it, but I'm in fear of losing it."
Delving deeper into the world of an F1 driver, Ricciardo said that things can get tiring and exhausting when they don't go your way. He said:
"It's a privilege, but it is also demanding. Yes, we are really good at what we do, but we're also still human, and we still get tired, exhausted, fatigued. And at this level of sport, that is dangerous – you can’t be operating at 99 per cent, even. So I really felt I was in fear of not being at my best if I did another year."
Ricciardo left McLaren at the end of the 2022 season.
Daniel Ricciardo wanted to be aligned with a top team in 2023
Daniel Ricciardo explained the logic behind returning to Red Bull. The Australian feels being associated with a winning team can only help when it comes to learning what one should do. He said:
"Obviously, there was talks with other teams, and I was like, 'Okay, if I'm not on the grid, at least let me be aligned with a top team.' It's nice to be in a winning environment, I think you learn a lot. If there's not a seat with them, potentially they can help find a seat elsewhere."
He continued:
"Also, being linked with a top team, a bit like (Nyck) de Vries was with Mercedes, you're living with a top team – I feel like you're more. I don’t want to use the word relevance, but you're kind of more recognised and less forgotten."
It will be interesting to see if any options open up for the Australian for the 2024 season.
