After sitting on the sidelines while serving as Red Bull’s third driver, Daniel Ricciardo is prepared to make a dramatic return to the F1 grid. In this brutal competition at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the flamboyant Australian will once again join the F1 circuits. However, before the Red Bull team axes rookie Nyck de Vries to shorten Daniel Ricciardo’s one-year break, the honey badger has made an astonishing statement. Since he is the only driver on the grid who is aware of what transpires behind the scenes, his most recent comment has positioned him as an unafraid driver with an amount of experience above all others. As a result of that, Danny Ric remains fearless of Red Bull politics.

The Austrian organization has yet again demonstrated its philosophy with its decision to fire drivers mid-season after setting a number of precedents, including the firing of Red Bull pilots Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon for underperformance. Nyck de Vries, who was fired from Red Bull’s sibling team AlphaTauri only after getting the chance to compete in 10 races, is the most recent victim.

Daniel Ricciardo is aware of how things operate within the Red Bull camp. In addition to exiting McLaren at the end of the 2022 season, he also had the opportunity to experience life outside of Formula 1. And over the course of his roughly eight-month experience, a fearless attitude has been ingrained in him and Ricciardo recently responded thunderously to Red Bull’s cunning politics.

As per F1 Maximaal, Ricciardo told that quitting from the world of motorsports permanently won’t affect him, “I’ve had a really nice year, I’ve done things. Life after racing is totally fine and I have other hobbies and interests. I don’t think that’s a discouraging thought for me.” [Translated Via Google]

READ MORE: “Brought Me Back to Normal Daniel:” Ricciardo Outlines the Cathartic Process That Made Him Shrug Off Horrors of McLaren Past

Given his age, Daniel Ricciardo will continue to grapple with retirement questions following him nevertheless, making it plain the Honey Badger has ended the debate once and for all.

Daniel Ricciardo provides an intriguing glimpse into his perspective on retiring

While racing for Red Bull, Daniel Ricciardo put on a full-fledged exhibition of his skills until Max Verstappen emerged into the spotlight. If he had stayed with the Austrian team at that point he might have even won the championship. However, the goals remain the same, with our favorite Australian driver’s single-minded focus on lifting the world championship.

However, like Ricciardo always paints a much clearer perspective for us, this time the 34-year-old provides an example of a former champion to show his mindset. As per crash.net, he said, “If I am a world champion, I don’t know if I’ll be retired, because that would mean that things are going well, Then I look at [Nico] Rosberg and I get it, but it also felt like maybe one year too early. So it’s hard to find that balance.”

Later, the honey badger said, “If I was to win a world title next year, no I wouldn’t retire. But if I was to win one in five years, maybe then I’d be like ‘that’s a great way to sign off’.”

WATCH THIS STORY: When Daniel Ricciardo Almost Had a Chance to Move to Ferrari

Do you think Ricciardo can prove his mettle and earn a sit alongside Max Verstappen?