“Down the Inside, Goes Daniel Ricciardo!” Any F1 fan loves to see Danny Ric in action, especially when he sends it. The last of the late brakers, Daniel Ricciardo, has arguably become a journeyman in F1 with several team switches. The Australian opened up recently on his exit from Red Bull in 2018. He sees no regret in leaving the Austrian team, despite having unsuccessful stints since then.

Ricciardo told De Telegraaf, “I don’t regret leaving Red Bull. People can say that it didn’t work out after that, I get that. I didn’t win any titles either, but I did learn a lot, That made me better.” [translated via Google]

Daniel left Red Bull to sign up with Renault (now Alpine) in 2019. And then for 2021, he signed up for McLaren, citing his expectations were not fulfilled at the Enstone outfit.

Ricciardo continued on, “It may sound profound when I say I think everything happens for a reason, but I had to break away from my position at the time.” 

In 2018, Red Bull was using Renault engines that often were not reliable, costing the Aussie several points. He suffered from multiple retirements and entanglements with teammate Max Verstappen.

He mentioned, “I was with a great team, but I was pretty down myself. When I thought back on that, I realized again that I made the right choice. Even though in theory I might have achieved better results if I had stayed.” 

One just might think of this what-if scenario about Ricciardo staying at Milton Keynes. How different 2019 to 2022 might have been?

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The Perth born had a pretty good season in 2020 with Renault. Nonetheless, he decided to move to McLaren the following year. This may have been a pivotal point in his career, as he has struggled badly at the Woking-based squad in the last 2 seasons. Meanwhile, the rebranded Alpine team has arguably made a faster car than the McLaren MCL36.

What lies ahead for Daniel Ricciardo?

McLaren decided to drop Daniel Ricciardo for the 2023 season during the summer break. This development came after rumors of the team signing up F2 champion Oscar Piastri. Daniel announced his mutual decision to part ways with the Woking outfit on social media, despite having a contract until the end of 2023.

Since then, the Honey Badger has been finding a drive for next season. There were possibilities of him going back to Alpine, although the French team snapped up Pierre Gasly from Red Bull to form an all-French lineup at Enstone.

Ricciardo wants to stay in F1, but besides back-of-the-grid seats at Haas and Williams, he does not have much choice at the sharp end of the field.

His recent form on track also doesn’t support his cause. Barring the win at Monza last year, Ricciardo has not produced anything magical that the fans are used to seeing from him. The 8-time race winner is staring at a year out from the sport.

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Still, there are possibilities for a reserve driver role at Mercedes or even at Red Bull.

As things stand, what should Ricciardo do? Should he go to race in NASCAR or some other series? Or should he stick around the paddock to try and make a comeback in 2024?