Daniel Ricciardo expects to get "an idea" about his desire for a Formula 1 return at this weekend's Australian Grand Prix.
The Perth native has been enjoying life away from the paddock after leaving McLaren at the end of last year, posting regular social media updates on his various ventures.
It's a break Ricciardo has rarely had since debuting in F1 in 2011, and one he admitted to needing when he was considering his future last year.
“In a way, I am glad that, let’s say, a top team didn’t reach out because it’s one of those ones where you probably feel, ‘Oh, I’ve got to sign it’, but I think deep down I was just craving a bit of distance," he explained.
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“You could call it some burnout, but I’m not afraid to admit that or say that. It’s one of those ones where everyone will have an opinion and this and that, but it’s ultimately that I know what I feel, I know what I want. It was some of that.
“And I feel very… I don’t want to say that I’m the only driver that feels this way, but I would say that I’m not the normal sportsman where I kind of just use ‘practice makes perfect’.
“The more I do sometimes, the more I’m just like getting kind of lost in it, where I kind of feel like the power of a break for me, some time off, I could come back better. I know for me that could actually be really good.”
Ricciardo is of course still connected to F1 having rejoined Red Bull for 2023, and has been doing some promotional work for the company ahead of his home race in Australia.
How to start an #AusGP Race Week 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/xJtDTjD5fM
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) March 27, 2023
"[I’m] content with kind of just being a little bit more chilled at the moment," he said about his desire to return earlier this year.
“I think once the racing starts, then Melbourne will be the first race I attend. So when I’m there and really in the full atmosphere of it all, I’ll probably get a bit more of an idea.
“It’s exciting to be back around the [Red Bull] team for sure. But yeah, not foaming yet, just kind of content doing what I’m doing.”
Though Ricciardo has previously touted a return to the grid in 2024, F1's only Australian world champion, Alan Jones, doubts it will happen.
“I don’t think he will get a drive at Red Bull unless something happens to the two current drivers [Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez]," he told the Herald Sun.
“I can’t see him doing a Grand Prix.
“I doubt [he will be on the grid in 2024]. At the end of the day, there is probably no reason why Red Bull won’t re-sign Perez, and obviously, Verstappen.
“I can’t see anybody at Ferrari resigning or going away, so I just can’t see where he can go.
“Obviously, everybody likes to go out on a high note, and it’s just unfortunate that for whatever reason, and I don’t even think he knows himself, why his performance dropped off [at McLaren].
“As I said before, I just can’t see him getting back into Formula 1.”
