Can Daniel Ricciardo make an F1 return?

Daniel Ricciardo is seen as the star of Formula one. With heavy rumours surrounding an opening seat at Alpha Tauri, question is will he be the one to fill it?

The driver had a promient F1 career with eight wins in total and a close shot at a championship title.

But how did it go so wrong? and will we ever see him "lick the stamp and send it" on a sunday again?

Ricciardos' Early Career

Daniel's talent was clear from an early age, 11-year-old Ricciardo won the midget category of the Wanneroo Tiger Kart Club in 2000, only two years after entering the organisation.

Daniel's Father, Joe Ricciardo had previously raced sedans and saw that Daniel frequently viewed NASCAR and F1 events from a young age.

This passion from watching motorsport and his father race, further pushed him to fight for a career into F1.

In 2005, the Australian entered the Formula Ford Championship driving a 15 year old Van Diemen finishing 8th and also driving a leased 13 year old Van Diemen that led to him retiring due to the cars old age.

However, things were on the up for the young Aussie as after finishing 6th in the Formula Renault 2.0 Italia Category, Ricciardo was scouted by the Red Bull Junior Team.

''Some kids you put into the car and they take a while to come to grips with it, He just got it. He doesn't panic … he just gets in and does his job.'' - Former F1 mechanic Brett Lupton after seeing Daniel race in Formula Ford.

After winning the Formula Renault 2.0 WEC championship in 2008 and also taking home the Championship for the British F3 category in 2009. It was clear Daniel was only getting started...

The Red Bull Years

Daniel had a disappointing first year in F1 with HRT in 2011, A team that developed a car so slow that it was hardly worth competing (Which showed with Ricciardo finishing second to last in the drivers standings).

This lack luster performance didn't hinder Ricciardo's step up to Toro Rosso (Now Alpha Tauri).

"I got lapped like four times on Sunday, and the day was a total mess … but, s***, it was awesome.”- Daniel Ricciardo Reflects on his Debut in F1 at the British GP

Toro Rosso was only the start for Daniel. Only one year in the sister team was enough as he was promoted to Red Bull in 2014 along side the four time world champion, Sebastian Vettel.

In his first season of replacing the retired Mark Webber, he came third in the championship with his first three wins in his F1 career in Canada, Hungary and Belgium (Out scoring his teammate in the standings).

At Red Bull Daniel went on to win seven races and really begun to create his own signature style of racing, his late breaking.

His nickname the "honey bager" was created at this time at the team as he was seen as a lovely guy off the track but harsh on the track.

“When you look at it, he seems quite cute and cuddly, but as soon as someone crosses his territory in a way he doesn’t like, he turns into a bit of a savage.” - Daniel Ricciardo on the meaning of his nickname.

His popularity kept soaring and it seemed that a championship title would happen at any moment for the driver, although with continuous DNF's, mechanical issues and the new Max Verstappen joining the team.

Daniel felt that staying at Red Bull would only hinder his chances of taking the crown home.

The Beginning of the end at Renault

Moving to Renault for the 2019 season, he seemed to be in good spirits ready for a change. But we all know that this move was soon not what Daniel was promised.

In the end, Renault failed to live up to Ricciardo's expectations in his debut season with the team, with the black and yellow cars falling farther down the order.

While Renault where struggling, McLaren continuined their spectacular upward trajectory to pass them in the constructors' title.

Renault failed to give what Daniel wanted, A Championship winning car and a well put together team.

No Mans land at McLaren

Having a short stint at Renault, there was still alot for Daniel to prove, many believed that McLaren was the place to do so.

McLaren signing Daniel was once seen as a match made in heaven. The place where 'the Honey Badger' could thrive, make up for lost time and teach the young Lando Norris some tricks.

However, this was quite the contrast. Ricciardo would struggle with the McLaren both years in a row.

Practically fighting the car with every turn, Daniel and the team tried to find a soultion.

But, could never really put their finger on why Ricciardo struggled so much.

“I think on both ends we struggled, in terms of the team trying to understand what it was and how to then update it and improve it. But from my side I’m also like, ‘Okay, I’m not perfect. Sure, I’ve got some weaknesses, this car happens to expose a few of them.’ But, let’s say, I still didn’t find a way to gel at one with this car often enough.” - Daniel sharing his perspective on his battles with the McLaren Car on the Beyond the Grid Podcast.

Most had the impression that the brakes caused alot of issues for the team, constantly overheating and overall making them lose pace.

In the end, Daniel admitted his lack of confidence made it so much harder to compete.

Who wouldn't lose some confidence when you're team mate constantly out qualifies you and you're not at the top of the grid anymore...

On the other hand, In 2021 the Austalian was back on the top step with a win in Monza, a win that no one saw coming ( Not even Ricciardo fans).

A first win for McLaren since 2012 and a first 1-2 finish since Canada in 2010 with Jenson Button and Lewis Hamiltion.

Even though the years at McLaren weren't pleasant for Ricciardo, at least he got one last win to take his seven up to Eight.

"Knowing deep within yourself that it can happen, and just never doubt yourself. If you truly love something and believe in it, then never doubt yourself. Some of the speed bumps along the way make moments like this so much sweeter."- A bitter sweet quote from Ricciardo after an overwhelming win.

Nonetheless, this win wasn't enough for him to keep his seat. McLaren decided to end his contract early and sign Oscar Piastri (Which was a whole other mess to sign Oscar).

At the time this seemed like the end for him. No other team would sign Ricciardo but it was clear that he wanted a break from the strenuous last couple years.

He needed to find his spark for the sport again.

Back to where it all started

As the dust setted around who was going to what team, it was announced that Daniel had reunited with the team that begun his career.

Although, this was as a third driver.

You can say this is a bad idea. Why not get a seat in another category? Why take a year out and not race?

Why waste another year of not fighting for the championship? But I see this as a beneficial thing for Ricciardo.

Daniel has made it clear that his time at McLaren exhausted him. He wasn't the same driver he used to be anymore ...

"It was clear when he came back that he had picked up some habits that we didn't recognise from the Daniel that left us years earlier."- Christian Horner revealed a sad truth about how these tough times affected the driver.

Down below you can watch what Daniel gets up to by being a third driver:

In the video above, Ricciardo seems happy and at home! Something that had been lost along the way for the driver.

He needed this step back for a recharge and to rediscover the love for F1.

Where to next?

The F1 paddock is known for it's rumours, especially when heading into the summers 'Silly' season (Just look back on last years mess).

But a promient, unmoving talk about Ricciardo taking an Alpha Tauri seat is unshakable (Replacing Nyck De Vries after only one season).

Some believe this would be the right move for Daniel, yes its a demotion going from the main team to the sister team, but it's better than no seat at all.

I worry if the Aussie sits out for too long in the sidelines he'll miss out on how to operate these forever advancing vehicles.

I doubt Daniel will forget how to drive an F1 car, but with the rules constantly changing and teams trying to get a hold on where to gain those extra milliseconds, Daniel could be lacking behind.

Even though Ricciardo will be driving the Red Bull at Silverstone for a Pirelli tyre test, it's still not a Grand Prix setting or as many laps as one.

Lets just hope his role as a third driver keeps his skills updated.

However, what if he doesn't get that seat in 2024? what next?

This is where things start to get disheartening for Ricciardo fans... The more time he's out of the sport the more this sport will forget about him.

Daniel even said it himself that he knows how things go in this business.

Things move fast, and most teams will start looking in young driver programs to employ cheaper and younger talent (But we've seen with the likes of Fernando Alonso this season that age doesn't mean you lose your skill to drive).

Although with the likes of more establishements trying to buy their way into F1, we could see him in one of those teams.

With the likes of Audi coming in 2026 and taking over Alfa Romeo, Audi may not want to keep the current drivers and have a new set.

On top of Audi joining, we also have the likes of Andretti trying to get its foot through the door ( Yet this hasn't been no where near confirmed and will take longer than 2026 to be an established team).

So F1 doesn't give Daniel another chance? Who does he turn too?

Ricciardo is adored in America. He could easily get a drive in NASCAR or Indy Car for that matter.

Although, Daniel has made it pretty clear that he isn't interested in driving for any other categories, only F1.

Maybe in the future America will get Daniel in the end, but for now he's still got his heart set on the pinnacle of motorsport, F1

In my opinon, if Ricciardo chooses not to race in another category and can't get back into F1, I see him presenting.

Recently for the Canadian Grand Prix, he was commentating with ESPN and many enjoyed his take/view on the action that was happening.

To have such a recent driver commentate over what's happening really broadens the perspective to the fans, and even makes them think of things more in depth like strategy.

He also still has fresh eyes in the behind the scenes of the sport, this is a great insight for viewers!

To conclude, I don't think Daniel Ricciardo is quite finished with F1, I hope to see him on the track again whether that's in a year or five.

It'd be a shame to see the star fade out after giving us so many great drives.