The Honey Badger’s return story has been nothing short of inspirational. After his exit from Red Bull in 2018, Daniel Ricciardo had two excellent seasons with Renault, following which his two-year stint at McLaren left little to be desired. As a direct result, McLaren terminated his contract for the 2023 season. For the first time since his debut in 2011, the Australian driver found himself without a seat in the pinnacle of motor racing. At least without one on track.

After McLaren showed Ricciardo the door, Ricciardo fell out of love with F1. But it didn’t take long for another opportunity to come knocking. Neither did it take long for him to fall back in love. For a team notorious for rarely giving second chances, Red Bull welcomed Ricciardo with open arms, but the best it could do was offer him a reserve driver role. So, for six months, the Honey Badger sat on the sidelines. And apart from his simulator duties, he was effectively a benchwarmer. So what reignited the spark in him?

Daniel Ricciardo has envy to thank for his F1 return

Reflecting on his time away from F1, which lasted all of 10 races, Daniel Ricciardo revealed his source of motivation and hunger to get back on the grid. Watching other drivers race and not being able to participate lit a fire in him, following which he managed to score an impressive return to the grid.

After Abu Dhabi 2022, Daniel Ricciardo had more than two months to spend at home, away from F1. He reflected that this was more time than he would usually get, allowing himself the downtime he desperately needed after his time at McLaren. However, once the season started, and Ricciardo witnessed the other drivers going against each other on track, a new hunger revealed itself inside the Honey Badger. This was particularly the case after the Australian Grand Prix, the first GP he attended since his exit from F1.

In an exclusive interview with MotorsportWeek, Ricciardo said, “It was probably February where I was I like, ‘I’m going to the gym today.’ And then that just started brewing. And then we got to Melbourne and that was the first race I attended. Being there, I started getting a little bit of – and I wasn’t ready yet – envy [of the drivers].” The Australian then revealed what the consequences of sitting out the 2023 season in its entirety would’ve been like. “So that was where I was like, ‘I think I know the direction this is steering in, I’m just gonna let it keep,’ and I was like, ‘Man, if I get 12 months of this, I’m gonna be a frickin’ animal come 2024.'”

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As we all know, Ricciardo spent less than half a season away from the sport. After an impressive showing at a tire testing in Silverstone, Daniel Ricciardo got his nod for replacing Nyck De Vries at AlphaTauri after 10 races.

Ricciardo’s wonderful return

Ricciardo did not take too much time to get himself back up to speed in Formula 1. Although he was away for several months, the Honey Badger picked up right where he left off. In the very first race back in Belgium, he out-qualified his teammate Yuki Tsunoda. However, after a couple of races back, he had to take another hiatus after an injury he sustained in Zandvoort. But he came back in style yet again. Following the US GP, Daniel Ricciardo qualified in an impressive P4 in Mexico, ahead of Sergio Perez in the Red Bull, and scored some crucial points for AlphaTauri during the race.

He did have a couple of races where outside events (like a tire damaging the rear wing and a visor cover getting stuck in his ventilation ducts) ruined the races for him, but he didn’t let them deter him from doing his best. If he continues this form, there’s a very good chance that he might find himself back in a Red Bull seat not too long from now. However, some believe a Red Bull comeback isn’t on the cards for the Honey Badger.

What do you think? Is vintage Daniel Ricciardo back? Let us know down below.

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