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Daniel Ricciardo might be heading for a sabbatical as he joins Mercedes as a reserve driver for the 2023 season. According to the French broadcaster Canal+, Ricciardo and Mercedes are now in ’advanced talks' over a deal, as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell remain the team’s drivers.
Earlier reports had talked about how Daniel Ricciardo was eyeing the seat at Alpine as an all-or-nothing option next season. With that out of the way, as Alpine are looking to sign Pierre Gasly, the Australian seems fine with taking a year off and joining Mercedes as a reserve driver.
Ricciardo said that he's weighing his options right now and hasn't decided on anything yet. He said:
“I’m really assessing everything. In short, I don’t have anything teed up yet, like, I don’t have anything confirmed. And I think when I do, I’ll be the first to tell you. So, there’s no reason for me to hold back any information now. There’s no secrets. It’s kind of all open and out there."
He added:
“I’m sure over time the right thing, whatever that ends up being, will make sense. And I think as well, it’s not just about what’s right for next year, it’s what’s right for my future. You know, it goes beyond 2023. So it’s complex, but when I know, you will.”
Ricciardo (29) is 11th in the driver standings heading into the Japanese GP in Suzuka this weekend.
Daniel Ricciardo focussing on 2024 as key year
On the Fitzy and Wippa breakfast radio show on the Nova 96.9 station in Sydney, Daniel Ricciardo said that he was not looking at the 2023 season as the be-all and end-all year.
He's looking at things on a long-term basis and feels the 2024 season could see movements in the driver market. Ricciardo said:
"I’m not kind of seeing next year as an all or nothing. Obviously 2024 is something I want to be aware of and look at. So that’s kind of where I’m like, if it means taking a step back to then take two steps forward; that’s what we are trying to figure out at the moment, me and my team. So that could be a year off.”
The McLaren driver is coming off a P5 finish at the Singapore GP last weekend. He will look for a strong result in what could be his last Japanese GP in a while.
