Daniel Ricciardo mulls F1 return: “Not foaming at the mouth yet”
McLaren ditched Ricciardo from their 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:F1 2023 driver line-up and he has penned a deal as Red Bull’s third driver, as back-up to 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Max Verstappen and 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Sergio Perez, but his long-term future is uncertain.
As Red Bull launched their RB19, Ricciardo said: “I’m keen to have a crack just to stay rac💙e-fit, so the body doesn’t go into shock when it hits♒ 5Gs!
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“If there was a test tomorrow, I’m still good. But I’m happy to have m♉ore time off.
“As the year progresses I will put my hand up.
“But I’m not foaming at th🍰e mouth yet. I’m happy to ease into 2023.”
Ricciardo confirmed t꧅hat the bulk of his work for Red Bull will be on the simulator, and will include showღ-runs and possibly tyre tests. He is unlikely to feature in any Practice sessions.
Is he anticipating a return to the F1 grid full-ti🌼me in 2024?
“I’m still taking a day-by-day approach,” he said. “I’m not putting too much stress on, by March 1, kno🀅wing how I ꦏfeel.
“I want it to happen naturally.
“Being at the launch does excite me, it’s a cool feeling. But I’m h𓆏appy 🐟to be taking the year that I am taking.
“I feel like a holiday is winding down, I’ve had close to enough time off, I’m going 🧔to the Super Bowl next weekend then I’ll get back into a regime of training.
“I’ll see what happens over the ✤next couple of months. I need to stay sharp enough that, if I need to jump in spontaneously, I’m not 20kg꧅ overweight!
“I’ll be w♍atching the first race on television. That will start to warm up a few🎉 feelings.
“Melbourne is the first ♏race I will attend - the atmosphere, noise, smell will do w﷽hatever it does.
“Stoked, excited, wanting to get back? Or just a faಌn? Melbou🦩rne will tell me a lot.”
Ricciardo has previously expressed an i𒆙nterest in racing at the Bathurst 12 Hours in Australia, and although he will miss it this year, his Red Bull contract does permit some non-F1 racing this year.
“There would be flexibility, and if Red Bull were involveℱd, it’s win-win,” he said. “But, right now, I want mental time off.
“Competition is awesome but it’s a lot. If I s🍬tep into something else, there would be a level of expectation. This year is a chance to take a light-hearted approach and to ease off.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering eve🦩rything from American sports, to football, to F1.
