Daniel Ricciardo is adamant that his focus this Formula 1 season is “short term” with RB, rather than any long-term designs on a race seat elsewhere.
The Australian was sat on the sidelines this time last year after a tumultuous two-year stint at McLaren.
However, the eight-time Grand Prix winner was given an F1 reprieve by the Faenza-based squad midway through the 2023 season, coming in to replace Nyck De Vries.
Ricciardo’s comeback was interrupted by a broken hand sustained in Dutch GP practice, causing him to miss five races and he’s now looking to hit the ground running session by session with RB this year.
“It’s this second chapter for me, it’s something that I’m really kind of thriving off again and enjoying, so I’m not getting caught up in what could be, what could happen,” Ricciardo told media including Motorsport Week during Wedesnday’s pre-season testing press conference.
“I don’t think that’s gonna do me any good. So just, yeah, trying to just be present.
“And so therefore it’s in a way more short-term thinking, but I know this is a process now.
“But my mindset is, honestly, right now it’s like in an hour’s time, get out there and test and try to give the team as much feedback as possible.
“I think they really valued my feedback and experience last year coming into it midway through the season. So just try and keep that rolling.”
Ricciardo’s position within the RB squad looks from the outside as a trial run to see whether he has the requisite form to return to a seat alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing.
2024 is a contract year for Verstappen’s current teammate Sergio Perez and the Mexican’s struggles last year were obvious.
Prior to his return to the grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ricciardo was given a chance to test the Red Bull RB19 at Silverstone and reportedly set a lap that would have placed him on the front row of the British GP, fuelling rumours that Ricciardo is being prepped as a Perez replacement ever since.
The Australian himself has readily admitted he wants his F1 career to end in Milton Keynes and he asked to give his thoughts on the matter during testing.
“Sitting here now at the start of a new season, it’s not something on my mind in respect to where I currently am as well,” Ricciardo admitted.
“And a long season ahead, you know, I think the way I get back to the front of the grid is trying to, yeah, hustle this car as hard as possible and produce weekends like Mexico and obviously do that more consistently and obviously see what happens.
“But yeah, sitting here now, it’s fully focused on where I’m at and trying to just, yeah, I guess establish myself again.
“I feel like I started to do that a little bit last year, coming back into the sport. But yeah, I feel like there’s a lot of races this year to try and do that and prove it to myself.
“And then obviously others around me.”
