(Motorsport) The fall of Daniel Ricciardo has been nothing short of tragic. The Australian was undoubtedly one of the top drivers on the grid when he partnered with Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing, but it can be said that his move to Renault in order to be the first choice driver was a wrong one. Renault simply couldn’t provide the Australian with a car capable of reaching the same heights as he did with Red Bull, eventually prompting a change to McLaren, an illustrious team with a glorious history. 

However, McLaren, just like Red Bull had a clear number 1 driver in Lando Norris and Ricciardo would have had to outperform his teammate in order to be on equal footing as the 22 year old. It’s safe to say that it didn’t happen and the Australian has massively underperformed at McLaren since joining the team. So much so that the eight time race winner had his McLaren contract prematurely cancelled, a big fall from grace for the 33 year old. Ricciardo has mentioned that he will be open to take a reserve role in Formula 1 for the 2023 season or take a break from the sport altogether if a suitable opportunity doesn’t arrive but that would be a colossal mistake for the Australian.

Ricciardo’s performances at McLaren have not justified what he considers to be a ‘suitable’ opportunity and has already expressed that he is not interested in the only vacant seat on the grid for next season (at Haas). A driver of Ricciardo’s calibre should be confident of proving himself at a team in the rear end of the grid rather than wait for the ‘right’ opportunity which may/may not arrive. Moreover, there is no guarantee that taking a reserve role in 2023 or taking a break from the sport altogether next season will guarantee a place in Formula 1 in the future and the Australian has made it clear that he wishes to remain in F1 at this stage of his career. 

Speaking about his future plans, Ricciardo said “I still want to be in the sport, and I want to be working with a team still with the ambition to be back on the grid in 2024. I feel like a bit of time away from a race seat will do me good, and then try to rebuild on something for 2024. I'm not done but it will look a bit different. No doubt, the last two years have been quite hard especially when you put a lot in and when it doesn't quite come back. It can get you down. I know the value of having even a summer break, just stepping away gives you a different perspective. The way the seasons are it's pretty relentless, you don't really get a chance to rebuild. The way the seasons are, it's pretty relentless, you don't really get a chance to rebuild.”

Also read: Lando Norris spoke to Red Bull before signing new McLaren contract