"It’s the only racing I’m interested in"- Daniel Ricciardo not considering leaving F1 despite McLaren exit at end of season

Daniel Ricciardo has said that he is still interested in racing at the highest level after his impending exit from McLaren. After the team announced on Wednesday that they would part ways with Ricciardo at the end of the season, speculation has been rife about the Australian's future.

In a press conference on Thursday ahead of the Belgian GP, Ricciardo said that he wants to continue racing beyond this season. However, he added that he would have no qualms taking a sabbatical next season if 'the stars don't align'. He said:

“If it made sense, yes. It’s the only racing I’m interested in at this stage of my career. F1 is what I love, and it’s where I see myself if I’m doing any racing. But if the stars don’t align, and it doesn’t make perfect sense next year and if it means taking that time off to reset or re-evaluate, then if that’s the right thing to do, then I’m willing to.”

Admitting his love for the sport, the Australian said that adversity has not eroded his confidence. However, he added that he would like to race competitively and have a 'purpose' and not just make up the numbers.

"I still love the sport, and I think through all of this adversity I haven’t lost that confidence in myself," said the Australian. "We’ve had some tough weekends, and you can’t help but show emotion sometimes, but I still love it, and I still want to do it competitively. I want to do it in the right place. I never said I want to just be a driver to make up the numbers. If I’m here, I want to be here for a purpose."

Since his win at Monza last year, the Australian has had some tough weekends. However, he knows he has the ability to pick up the pieces as he yearns to replicate those highs again.

"Picking myself up is something I feel I’m very capable of doing. This is certainly a big moment in time for my career, but even if things aren’t always highlighted, you’re always going through challenges, and you always have to pick yourself up."

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"That fire, that belief is still in me" - Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo reminisced a moment from his junior career when he was racing in Formula Renault in 2008 and was at a crucial juncture in his career. The Australian said that a pep talk helped him a lot.

Talking about that incident at Spa 14 years ago, Ricciardo said:

“I remember here (Spa) in 2008 when I was racing (two-litre) Formula Renault, it was the Saturday night before the race on Sunday, and I got a real pep talk. It was just in one of those moments in my career, I still hadn’t yet made it, but I really had to pull my head in and start making it happen."

Ricciardo reflected that no driver has a perfect career, and ups and downs are a part of life, something he has learned to deal with. However, he added that he still has the fire in his belly and belief in himself. The Australian, though, noted that he only has limited options on the table and cannot race for whoever he wants to.

“No one has a perfect career," said Ricciardo. "I’ve learned to deal with it over time. This has been another challenge, another hurdle, but I simply see it as, if I want to pick myself up, I will. That fire, that belief, is still in me, so if I want to make that choice, I can. Obviously, I don’t have every option on the grid, it’s not like I can race wherever I want, but from a self-worth point of view, absolutely (I will recover from this).”

It will be interesting to see what's next for Daniel Ricciardo after his McLaren chapter draws to a close.