In 2023, Daniel Ricciardo experienced a year that defied expectations. Following an early termination of his contract with McLaren, he found himself as a reserve driver for Red Bull before joining AlphaTauri and securing a permanent spot on the team, now knows as VisaCashAppRB.
Despite admitting to losing his spark for Formula 1, this transformative period prompted a journey of introspection that reshaped his perspective on the sport. After delivering strong performances, Ricciardo seemed to be rediscovering his former self a year later.
In an interview with Motorsport.com, Ricciardo openly discussed how taking a break had a profound impact on his outlook on life and his career. He reflected, stating: “When you go through something, obviously it can change you a little bit and give you maybe a different perspective, or make you appreciate the good times more or understand how to handle the low,”
“Or when you were down, maybe then you realise what’s important to you and what isn’t.”
“So, just through all of that stuff, I think you learn a lot about yourself. And I think coming out of it, I realised that I still really love this, I still do believe in myself.”
Despite being a prominent figure in the paddock, Ricciardo acknowledged that reigniting his passion for Formula 1 and restoring self-assurance provided him with a fresh outlook on life and his career; he admitted: “I don’t want to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders because it should still be fun. And yes, I’m going to take it seriously,”
“I’m going to try to be the best version of myself. But I just don’t want it to consume every part of me to a point where I’m not enjoying other aspects of my life because then that’s just not the way it should be. And that’s not the way I’ve always gone about racing.”
Only two races back in the helm of his AlphaTauri, he had a big shunt at the Dutch Grand Prix that led him to nurse a broken hand for a few months. He looked back at it, saying: “I just felt hungry and motivated again, like my old self, and I was loving it. So then for that to happen, it did temporarily take a bit of wind out of my sails,”
“I just tried to think ahead, to the quickest way I can get better and recover again, and I just refused to let the hard work I’d put in the whole year to get back to that place come undone because of an injury.”
“I don’t want to come in and have too much joking or messing around because I’ve had so much more on my plate that I still want to make sure that I am perceived as someone who is hungry and motivated and not just someone that’s here to be here.”
Despite the fashion that his contract ended, Ricciardo admits that it was “a blessing in disguise”. This turn of events compelled him to reconnect with himself and transform negativity into a more positive outlook. Reflecting on his time at McLaren, he remarked: “Look, as uncomfortable at times the McLaren situation was, it was a blessing in disguise. Let’s say they cancelled my contract because I needed to step away to kind of re-find myself, re-find my love and get the hunger back as well.”
“I think there were a lot of elements that had just been a little bit hurt or bruised from it all, like my drive and my motivation. So, I just needed to find that again, and that time away gave that to me.”
In order to allay any “fear of retiring” for good one day, Ricciardo’s break from Formula 1 Racing also allowed him to pursue interests outside of racing. He added: “I wanted to make sure that I was still able to have other hobbies and interests in life because coming back into the sport it kind of makes it feel as serious as I want to take it.”
“It just made it feel like it’s not the be-all and end-all. So yeah, I did choose to do things and pursue other avenues of life. And also make sure that I’ve got other passions and interests and not have a fear of retiring one day ultimately.”
“So, part of it was exploring a little bit of that and what keeps me ticking and smiling. “
“There were definitely moments where I just wanted to be alone and just wanted to be in my own thoughts and understand what crossroads I’m at in life. And the emotion in me was at times like, ‘I don’t want to race again”.
“But I knew I needed time to let that settle and understand truly what my heart desired. And ultimately, I felt like I was getting that answer more and more.”
