Ricciardo: F1 is the only racing I'm interested in or time off

The Australian was speaking to reporters ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix on Thursday, a day after he and the team announced their separation at the end of the season.

"If it makes sense, yes," the 33-year-old driver said when asked whether he might consider a year out if the right opportunity did not come along in F1: "It's the only racing I'm interested in at this stage of my career, F1 is what I love and where I see myself if I'm doing any racing.

"But let's say the stars don't align and it doesn't make perfect sense next year and if it means taking that time off to kind of reset or re-evaluate, then if that's the right thing to do then I will."

Ricciardo will not suffer financially, with McLaren effectively paying him millions not to race for them.

"We´ve had to write a big cheque, which is fine because that´s the deal we cut," McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown told the High Performance podcast.

However, that has not stopped media speculation suggesting anything ranging from $10 million to $25 million, depending on the source.

Several teams have yet to confirm their lineups, including Renault-owned Alpine - Ricciardo's previous employers who are battling McLaren for fourth place overall.

Alpine want Australian reserve driver Oscar Piastri to replace departing double world champion Fernando Alonso but the 21-year-old has rejected the offer and is expected to join McLaren.

If Alpine do not take Ricciardo back, another option might be Ferrari-powered Haas who have Mick Schumacher out of contract at the end of the year.

Ricciardo said he had not lost any self-confidence and wanted to race for a purpose rather than making up the numbers.

"No-one has a perfect career... this is another challenge, another hurdle but I simply see it as if I want to pick myself up I will," he said.

"It's a decision they (McLaren) have made but it doesn't change the way I'm going to go racing. I only know how to race one way."