A year ago Ricciardo had been a൲xed from Formula 1 byꦫ McLaren after two substandard seasons.

Even a retu🦄rn to Red Bull as a third driver caused Christian Horner to comment on “bad habits” that Ricciardo had picked up.

But he will head iဣnto 2024 as a full-time F1 driver again with AlphaTauri, with 🐲seven rounds of this season under his belt after a mid-season comeback.

“I hope to be a better racing driver,” he told the podcast. “Th♊at💖's what I'm working on. 

“Do I still want to be 🍸world champion? Yes. Has it been a 🧸dream of mine since I was a kid? Yes. 

“Bu🔯t maybe it's just because I've seen Max, or whoever else, and they're still waking up the same p♏erson.

“I think you just t✅ake a little bit of pressure off it. 

“It's not going to change me as a human. Therefore, it's notꦦ going to change my life moving forward. 

“Yes, it will present some other opportunities if you are to achieve such a feat, but I know my mum and dad are going to look at me the same way, whether I'm a world champion or whether I'⭕m not. 

“It's probably a bit of perspective. I still w🎐ant it and I st🎀ill deep down believe I can do it, but it's really not going to change the course of my life.”

When Ricciardo lost his McLaren seat, he signalled an intention to step away🏅 from the sport and focus on other passions.

He was initially non-committal about a return.

After stepping back initially as Red Bull’s𒊎 third driver and now full-time with sister team AlphaTauri, Ricciardo has𒊎 detailed his new mind-set.

“I'm treating it like a second chance to go all ﷽i𝓡n for this last part of my career,” he said.

“There are things⛎ that I'm going to do differently to make sure that all my energy is focused on going all in. 

“But then there's also definitely an element of making sure that you're okay after racing, after your career🦹.&nb꧑sp;

“Especially in sport, you do it from such a young age, you’re not a businessman from five years old. Sport is a very rare career where you can start pursuing it so young that it'꧟s been your only purpose in life and it's consumed you and your family as well.

“When it's gone, I know that's where a lot of athletes can struggle with their identity, I guess. Where are they going to get that adrenaline from? Where are the💛y going to get that drive? 

“I'm aware that it's not easy for everyone also to transition to life after sport. I was also curiouဣ💦s to know how my life could look and how I would be. 

“I am obviously a positive person and normally just very easy-going. It's not something that ൲I was necessarily concerned about, but you want that comfort of knowing that I'm going to be fine and I can enjoy other things in life.

“Racing is my passion, but it's not every꧒thing and it's not the be all and en๊d all.

“I think I got that answer, wh💦ich was really good. I think it allows me to come back for this second phase with, in a way, les🔯s pressure. 

“Deep down I'm going all in and I want to put everything I can into it, but thꦯere is𒊎 part of me which is also a little bit lighter.”

2023 was a remarkable turnaround for Ricciardo.

A hugely impressive test in a Red Bull convinced them to get r⛦id of Nyck de Vries frꩵom AlphaTauri and replace him with Ricciardo.

An🍨d despite an injury setback, Ricciardo of🌺fered glimpses of his undoubted talent in the second half of the year.

He stands a realistic chance of earning the second Red Bull seat, alongsid🌺e Verstappen a𝄹gain, in 2025.