9 Days After “Fairytale” Comeback Comment, Daniel Ricciardo Slapped With a Brutal Reality Check by GF’s F1 Veteran Father

What is the first thing you think of when you hear Daniel Ricciardo‘s name? His big, toothy grin, ability to make others laugh, his “Enchante’s”, his friendship with Max Verstappen, or his time as an actual Formula 1 driver? While he is still partaking in four of those five things, the one thing he can’t do is the one thing he wants to return to. Because, as a reserve driver, he doesn’t get to drive F1 cars often and has been confined to the sidelines. And no driver who has experienced the feeling of driving and competing in F1 wants to sit on the sidelines. And that’s exactly what Ricciardo is doing.

At the end of 2022, when his contract with McLaren wasn’t renewed, he got an offer to drive for Haas in 2023. Instead of accepting, he decided to join Red Bull as its reserve driver. Considering Red Bull brought him into F1, it seemed like the right decision for him to return to the team, also considering he’s almost at the end of his career. But he believes he still has it in him to return to a racing seat, exclaiming, “If I could have a fairytale ending to my career, I’d love to do it at Red Bull.” While he is optimistic, someone close to him can’t say the same.

Gerhard Berger sees a gloomy future for Daniel Ricciardo

Gerhard Berger is the father of actress Heidi Berger, Ricciardo’s girlfriend. The two have been dating for almost four years but never really confirmed the relationship until about a week ago when they attended the wedding of Scotty James and Chloe Stroll. While discussing Ricciardo’s future in F1 in an interview with OE24, Gerhard Berger said, “He’s a likeable, nice guy. If he gets another chance at Red Bull now, I’d be happy.” [translated via Google]

Since Max Verstappen came into the Red Bull seat in 2016, Daniel Ricciardo has been the only driver to have challenged him. But ever since Daniel left, it’s been a game of musical chairs with that second Red Bull seat, with no driver able to stick long enough to challenge Max. And now that Sergio Perez has started struggling to keep up, speculations were that Ricciardo might replace him. While Helmut Marko dismissed the claims, Berger sides with Marko too. He said, “On the other hand, I would be surprised [if he gets the Red Bull seat] because it doesn’t fit the Red Bull philosophy, which is based on young drivers.”

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Despite everything (and everyone siding against him), Ricciardo believes he’ll return to F1. And with a recent announcement made by Marko, Daniel’s hopes haven’t died yet.

Daniel Ricciardo could race for AlphaTauri in 2024

Alpha Tauri will not be called Alpha Tauri from 2024, but either way, Marko confirmed that Ricciardo is in contention for a seat on the team. In a few weeks, specifically after the British GP, Ricciardo will finally get to drive the RB19 during Pirelli’s tire test at Silverstone. While helping the team gather valuable data for next season, Marko will also use his outing to gauge whether he is still fit for F1.

While Ricciardo fans were thrilled to hear the news, F1 fans, in general, weren’t too happy. He will go against Red Bull junior drivers Liam Lawson and Ayumu Iwasa for the seat. Considering Marko has stated many times that Alpha is a team to test junior drivers—and what Berger said about Red Bull’s philosophy—there’s a high possibility that Daniel would not get the seat. People think that if he does secure the seat, it’ll be a waste of young potential.

What do you think about Ricciardo’s future in F1?

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