Daniel Ricciardo, now a third driver at Red Bull, insists he wants to return to the Formula 1 grid, but not at any cost, not with a back-marker team, as that would be starting from scratch, something the Australian is not keen to do.
The seven-time Grand Prix winner was present at the paddock of the 2023 Australian Grand Prix, in front of his home fans, but for the first time since 2012, Ricciardo was not an F1 driver but a reserve.
After two tough years at McLaren, Ricciardo was shown the door at Woking, and was replaced by compatriot Oscar Piastri, the former fining refuge at his old team Red Bull as a reserve driver biding his time as he plots his return back to the F1 grid hoping to do so in 2024.
Having been out of an F1 drive for a few months, Ricciardo still feels he wants to return to the grid, and said in Melbourne, quoted by Sky Sports F1: "The signs are pointing towards getting back on the grid.
"I feel like that's where I'm tracking in my head and a few of the habits that I'm having or doing is pointing towards that. It's only been a few months (out of F1) but I think some itches have been scratched, so to speak.
"I've actually weirdly found that the days that I've had no schedule are the days when I've actually done training, and I've done things like I would before," he revealed.
No junk food and watching movies all day
"So I don't know, being my own boss, writing my own schedule has actually brought out a lot of the things in me, when I thought I might just sit on the couch and watch movies all day and eat junk food, I'm just not. That's not me.
"So even these things have made me realise how much I do care about it," the Honey Badger pointed out.
However, Ricciardo will not be making any compromises just for the sake of landing an F1 drive, and insists that he is targeting a seat with a competitive team, as that will be the only thing that will motivate him to return back to his pre-McLaren form.
"I still am at a point where it's not at any cost, it's not just to be back on the grid," he said. "A lot of the reason for taking this year off was that I didn't want to just jump back into a car, any car just to be one of the F1 drivers.
"I still don't see myself starting from scratch and rebuilding a career and going at it for another decade," the 33-year-old from Perth insisted.
Ricciardo feels more driven fighting at the front of the pack
"I appreciate I might not have every opportunity under the sun, but I want to win," he went on. "I want to be back with a with a top team and obviously a team where I have my confidence back and my mojo.
"I think also that's where, maybe when I look back that's a weakness of mine, but in a way it's a strength as I feel better at the front of the grid. I feel like I perform in those situations with a bit more pressure and a bit more emphasis on a podium.
"So to go back and try to put myself in just any seat or something that's fighting at best for a top-10 finish, I don't think that's going to bring the best out of me.
"So yeah, I see myself, at least in my head, wanting to go back on the grid, but there's still some terms and conditions, so to speak," Ricciardo concluded.
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