Despite Cost Cap Sanction, $640 Million Worth Red Bull “Wows” Daniel Ricciardo With Immense Expansion: “They Pretty Much Own All…”

4 years in F1 is a considerable amount of time. The pecking order of the grid can change. A team that was struggling can come to the top and vice versa. Red Bull is a classic example of this scenario. Back in 2018, the Milton Keynes team was reeling with reliability and teammate tussles. Cut to 2022, and RBR is dominating the championship. Despite having cost cap sanctions recently, the $640 million worth team has done an immense expansion of its factory and base. Currently, Daniel Ricciardo is in the perfect vantage point to see how Red Bull has evolved and prospered since his time with the team.

Speaking on the Unlapped podcast by ESPN, Ricciardo revealed how Red Bull’s campus and factory surprised him when he entered as their 3rd driver. He mentioned how and why it felt different from when he was with the team till 2018.

Daniel said, “The factory, like they pretty much own all of Milton Keynes right now. They have expanded. When I walked in, I was like: Okay Wow! This has come a long way since the end of ’18. You kind of see it and it’s no surprise they have just won the championship. They’re all in. That’s kinda cool.”

Ricciardo will mainly be present at the Milton Keynes base for the team this season. He shall be involved in a lot of simulators work for Red Bull’s car development. Besides this, the Honey Badger is also speculated to visit 7 to 8 of the race weekends as the official reserve driver for Red Bull.

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Looking at Daniel’s current situation, it does not feel right that an 8-time race winner is out of a seat. While, Ricciardo has stated how he has lost passion for the sport, so if he starts to gain that back maybe an F1 return is possible. But is staying a reserve driver at Red Bull the right way to go about it?

Should Daniel Ricciardo Race Somewhere Else to Regain his Passion for Racing?

When Daniel Ricciardo was asked about racing in other categories in NASCAR or IndyCar, he bluntly denied it. The Australian driver stated how he wishes to stay in F1 for now. But the hard fact is that F1 teams are not looking at Ricciardo. So, should he make them look at him by showing prowess in other motorsport categories?

This can be a viable & great option for Daniel to revive his career. Competing in NASCAR or IndyCar can help him get into that competitive zone and get his mojo back. It could be a big boost for his motivation and passion if he can win and perform well in these series.

Besides, there have been doubts about whether the Honey Badger can still perform at the top level or not. So, going into other categories like the Endurance series can help him clear those doubts and perhaps regain his reputation in the F1 paddock.

There is little possibility of Ricciardo getting any competitive opportunities by staying at Milton Keynes as Red Bull’s reserve. He can rather explore racing at Le Mans, the Indy 500, and the WEC events to get some racing adrenaline. Eventually, it is up to Danny Ric to decide whether he would want to race in these other motorsport events or not.

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There are certainly a lot of perks and benefits Daniel Ricciardo gets from his reserve role at Red Bull. But, will he get a top-team race seat in F1 by spending time with the 2022 champions? We may get to know by 2024!