DANIEL RICCIARDO appears to have given up any hope of getting a seat in Formula One in 2023.
The Honeybadger had been hoping to secure a seat for next year after McLaren ditched him in favour of highly-rated compatriot Oscar Piastri.
However, with the announcements of Pierre Gasly and Nyck De Vries going to Alpine and Aston Martin respectively, Ricciardo has given up on the prospect of a drive in 2023.
An understandably disappointed Ricciardo said: “To be honest, the Gasly news I was aware of.
“I knew they were talking for a while and I knew they were very interested in Pierre, so I would say I was prepared for that and no surprise.
“We were trying to navigate our way round that and figure out what was next, but I think the reality now is I won’t be on the grid in 2023.”
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Two options did remain for the 33-year-old in terms of vacancies, with seats still available at Haas and Williams, but it seems neither team want to take the plunge with Ricciardo.
The eight-time race winner has suffered an astonishing collapse of form throughout the season and sits an incredible 72 points behind team-mate Lando Norris.
But Ricciardo has dismissed talk of retirement by declaring his intention to return in 2024.
He added: “I think it’s now just trying to set-up for 2024. I think there could be some better opportunities then, so that’s really what all this confirms and now where the sights are set.
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“Certainly the plan is still to be involved in F1 and this is kind of like just hitting pause for a little bit.
“That’s the way I see it as far as my F1 career goes.
“Sure, (racing in other series) could open up opportunities to maybe do some of that stuff but if I feel it’s going to deviate away from my target, I would still say it’s not really where I’m looking.
“As cool as it sounds to compete in something else, the truth is mentally I’m not there yet.
“I’m still so engaged in this, and I think a bit of time off or out of a seat will probably do me good so I would probably use that as opposed to trying to jump in something else and stay busy in a different category.
“So I would still say pretty convincingly it wouldn’t happen anywhere else.”
A move of this nature would see Ricciardo follow similar paths to that of two-time champion Fernando Alonso and one-time podium sitter and current Haas driver Kevin Magnussen.
In the meantime, Ricciardo has also been linked with taking up a position as a reserve driver at Mercedes, meaning he would step in whenever Lewis Hamilton or George Russell were unable to compete.
After a strong P5 finish in Singapore, Ricciardo then limped to a P11 during a turbulent Japanese Grand Prix.
The race saw the FIA once again embroiled in controversy over the way points were allocated, with an eventual ruling which indicated Max Verstappen was once again the world champion.
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But even this was overshadowed by drivers being incensed about a tractor being on the track while cars were, given the events which transpired in 2014 that cause the tragic death of Jules Bianchi.
With the driver’s championship now concluded, F1 will next head to the USA for the next race on October 23.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
