Daniel Ricciardo's 3 possible paths back to the F1 grid in 2024
Daniel Ricciardo has been sorely missed by everyone on the F1 paddock and by the looks of it, he's missed everyone as well.
Ricciardo has taken a sabbatical for the 2023 F1 season and one of the major reasons why he's taken this step is, in his words, to get his motivation back. The Australian was put through the meat grinder in McLaren and in the end, came off worse than he would have ever imagined.
He was let go earlier than his contract duration and basically paid off to stay home and not race. The 33-year-old is now a part of Red Bull as a reserve driver but is itching to get back to racing, as was evident by his comments at Albert Park.
In many ways, Daniel Ricciardo is a proven entity and a marketing marvel. However, he does come with a list of specific demands. Can he find a way back to the F1 grid in 2024? Let's take a look at the avenues that could make it possible.
#1 Daniel Ricciardo to Haas?
At this moment, arguably one of the more obvious choices for Daniel Ricciardo is a move to Haas.
Both Haas drivers' contracts expire at the end of the 2023 F1 season and hence there are two vacancies on the team. Now, the team could opt for a renewal of both drivers or give the Australian a shot.
Guenther Steiner has been vocal when it comes to showing keen interest in hiring Daniel Ricciardo. Even in Australia, when questioned by the media, Steiner did not shut the door on Ricciardo getting a seat at Haas.
He could have been a Haas driver this season itself, but the drop in form of the American team in the second half put a stop to that.
This season, the field has started to converge behind Red Bull, and has already seen Nico Hulkenberg's very impressive race in Australia. Both of these aspects should give Ricciardo the incentive to sign a one-year contract with Haas and get back on the grid.
If he can show the world that his McLaren stint was a blip, he could turn things around in the future.
#2 Daniel Ricciardo to Sauber/Audi?
The second avenue depends on the team's willingness as much as it depends on Daniel Ricciardo.
While at Haas, it's safe to say that if Ricciardo shows interest, he will likely be getting the seat, the same can't be said for Sauber/Audi. Their Alfa Romeo partnership comes to a conclusion at the end of the season and from 2024 onwards, Audi's influence will increase.
Sauber has Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas as their driver lineup, which is arguably uninspiring. Zhou did not have a super impressive junior career, while Bottas has been off the boil lately.
In this scenario, picking a driver that is marketable and should be able to deliver strong results is a no-brainer.
Having said that, Andreas Seidl was the lead man at McLaren and saw the worst of Daniel Ricciardo. Seidl was arguably the man responsible for replacing the Australian at McLaren as well.
He is now the leading man at Sauber and it would be a leap of faith to expect him to bet on the same horse that bit him last time around. If he does put faith in Ricciardo, however, Sauber will have a star driver within the team and will not be as anonymous on the grid as they are right now.
#3 Hope Sergio Perez implodes at Red Bull?
While the first option seemed like a straightforward move, the second required some cooperation from both sides. The third, though, is almost wishful thinking.
This involves Daniel Ricciardo hoping that Sergio Perez implodes at Red Bull and falls out with Max Verstappen. When that happens, a vacancy would open up and Ricciardo can swoop in with pleasure.
Expecting this to happen is, as we stated earlier, wishful thinking. However, there have been signs of simmering tension at Red Bull.
Perez blamed the car in Australia for his poor qualifying and also talked about title aspirations after winning in Jeddah. He has also had some niggling antics post-race, including the now-deleted tweet where he mentioned he wanted to win the title.
Perez has more or less had a clean record in terms of his relationships with teammates, but it's not as if he's immune to red mist either. The Mexican and Jenson Button had a frosty relationship in McLaren in 2013, while his antics against Esteban Ocon at Force India are also well known.
If Perez loses his head, which is highly unlikely, Daniel Ricciardo will be the prime candidate to get that seat at Red Bull. It's hard to dispute that he will take it with both hands.