Daniel Ricciardo: I thought I’d never race in F1 again

Ricciardo lost his F1 seat after 11 years in the sport at the end of last season but has fought back to earn a shot at AlphaTauri from this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix

Daniel Ricciardo struggled at McLaren but is back in F1 (Getty Images)

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that he thought he’d never race in F1 again and has to remove “all ego and status” this year in order to secure a return to the grid.

After 11-and-a-half consecutive seasons with a seat in F1, the likeable Aussie was dropped by McLaren at the end of the last campaign following a disappointing two-year spell and failed to find another team to take him on as one of their two race drivers.

At the age of 33, he was forced to swallow his pride and accept a role as reserve driver at Red Bull, doing “everything the drivers are doing… other than the driving”, in pursuit of one of those 20 golden seats on the grid.

And last week his chance came as he was chosen to replace the axed Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri, officially on loan from Red Bull to their sister team for the remainder of the season, meaning he will be in the cockpit at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend.

It is a lifeline back into F1 and even though he ultimately only missed 10 races, the now-34-year-old admits he thought his career was over.

“After Abu Dhabi last year, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever race again,” Ricciardo revealed to The Independent in an exclusive interview. “But coming back this year, I removed all ego and status.

“I do think this year will be the best thing that’s ever happened to me and it will boost me now for the rest of my career. It honestly came at the right time… everything happens for a reason.”

Ricciardo tried to make the most of his enforced time off, escaping the mental and physical rigours of F1 for a life of attending Super Bowls, PGA Tour golf events and Met Galas in New York.

Daniel Ricciardo attended this year’s Super Bowl (Instagram - @danielricciardo)

He enjoyed those moments, and loved being able to return to Australia for his birthday earlier this month for the first time in 17 years, but the competitive itch soon returned.

“I’ve really enjoyed this time off, to have the time for myself,” he said. “Last week I went home to Australia for my birthday, I haven’t done that since I was 17.

“It honestly came at the right time. Look, I wish those two years [at McLaren] were better. But it’s given me a mental break because the competition is intense, as much as we love it. It consumes a lot of you so I feel for me to bring my cortisol levels down a little bit, I just feel a lot more balanced this year.

“I didn’t want to see a gym for a while. I just wanted to eat and drink with my mates. Out of principle, I wanted to give myself a break. Just to allow myself to put on a few kgs. It felt really good, I trained just once in December and January.

“I got to February and remember thinking ‘yeah, I’m done.’ I’d had enough. I didn’t feel like drinking every weekend and partying all the time. I wasn’t going crazy but I thought ‘this life isn’t for me just yet’.

“And then I became very self-motivated. I wanted it to come from me, I didn’t want someone telling me to run. I had this urge and desire to be back on the grid – and I’ve never enjoyed training so much. I’ve got more energy to train and the desire has increased, especially not being jet-lagged every fricking week!”

Ricciardo’s work at Red Bull helped him earna seat at AlphaTauri (Getty Images)

After an impressive Silverstone tyre test at the British Grand Prix in F1’s fastest car, Red Bull chiefs Helmut Marko and Christian Horner swiftly made the call to get Ricciardo in the AlphaTauri.

And the potential carrot is even greater than a permanent seat at one of the grid’s backmarkers. It’s an open secret that Horner is becoming increasingly frustrated with Sergio Perez, as the Mexican’s increasingly poor performances aren’t giving Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen the support he needs on his unstoppable march to the title.

The second driver slot at Red Bull could well open up as soon as the end of this season and, with impressive performances at their sister team, Ricciardo could put himself in position to be sharing a garage with Verstappen. He admits that the ultimate ambition – race wins, maybe even a world championship – is still at the forefront of his mind.

“That is the reason I would come back,” added Ricciardo. “I still believe I can do it. I feel like the Red Bull Daniel. He is still here.”