Daniel Ricciardo has made progress on his F1 future as he looks to secure a Formula 1 Reserve Driver role for the 2023 season.
This weekend marks the Australian’s last as a race driver, at least for now, after agreeing to the early termination of his contract with McLaren.
Ricciardo has made no secret of his desire to move into a Reserve Driver role, reasoning it affords him a means of remaining connected and relevant to the Formula 1 paddock while providing a little more freedom than his current schedule allows.
He has been linked with both Mercedes and Red Bull, having rejected the advances of Haas boss Guenther Steiner.
Paddock rumours in recent weeks have suggested Red Bull is the most likely berth for him.
Indeed, there were even suggestions a deal had been done a week ago, though they were refuted at the time.
“Not yet,” Ricciardo said in Abu Dhabi when asked if his F1 future was sorted.
“Would I say progress? Yes. But nothing’s confirmed.
“But progress is being made. We’ll see. Hopefully, you can see my good looks again next year, to some degree.”
A move to Red Bull would seem a prudent one.
Though it tends to break from the operation’s tradition of promoting from within and favouring youth over experience – Sergio Perez is the exception to that – Ricciardo is an attractive proposition.
He is a stronger alternative than the likes of Liam Lawson should a replacement driver be needed, and he already has a working knowledge of the team.
Beyond that, he would be a valuable asset to Red Bull Powertrains as it works to develop its power unit for 2026.
For Ricciardo, there is the potential to grow from a technical standpoint in much the way Alex Albon did in 2021.
Of course, there is the handy prospect of being in the right place at the right time should the relationship between Max Verstappen and Perez turn sour and the situation becomes untenable.
Naturally, the future holds no guarantees, and Ricciardo has acknowledged that Sunday’s race could be his last in F1.
Despite that, he maintains that he’s not approaching the weekend any differently.
“I’m not treating it like it’s going to be my last ever race, but it could be,” he admitted.
“I know that nothing’s guaranteed in the future, so I’m going to enjoy it.
“I’m not going to get emotional about it, about the thought that ‘oh, is it the last one or not?’.
“I do want to enjoy it and just take it for what it is.
“I’ve got a grid penalty, I normally go better when I have penalties – I actually asked for a five-place penalty, but three will do!”
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