Sky Sports pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz has backflipped on his claim that Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo will join F1 powerhouse Red Bull as a reserve driver next year.
The 33-year-old was sacked by McLaren after a horrid two seasons with the Woking-based outfit, leaving the Perth native without a seat for 2023.
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Earlier this month, Ricciardo confirmed he would not feature on the F1 grid next year, opting instead to take a break and hopefully return in 2024.
There was plenty of speculation on whether Ricciardo would join Mercedes as a reserve driver in 2023, but Kravitz suggested Ricciardo would be returning to one of his former teams.
“I’ve got some good news for Daniel Ricciardo fans,” Kravitz during qualifying at the United States Grand Prix.
“He might not have a race drive for next year, but I do understand he has closed out a reserve driver drive next year. So he told us on Thursday, he will be around about the F1 paddock next year.”
Pressed on which team Ricciardo is headed to, Kravitz added: “We thought Mercedes, because they now have a vacancy given that Nyck De Vries, their reserve driver is going to Alpha Tauri. I’m told it’s not Mercedes. So that only leaves Red Bull, the (only two) teams who have a reserve driver on hand at every race.”
But Kravitz has drastically changed his tune, claiming the pendulum had swung firmly back in Mercedes’ favour.
“You know I said he seems to be closing in on a reserve driver job with one of the two big teams? I thought it was more likely to be Red Bull than Mercedes,” he explained.
“Can I reverse that? Edit that? It’s more likely to be Mercedes than Red Bull.
“Danny Ricc in a Mercedes outfit! I’ve seen stranger in Formula 1.”
Ricciardo was asked if an agreement had been made shortly after the qualifying session in Austin.
“I don’t, I don’t. For now, everything is just rumours,” Ricciardo told motorsport.com.
“Am I talking? Yes. But there’s no pen on paper or anything like that yet.”
“So I won’t completely disconnect from the sport, but obviously nothing’s guaranteed for ’24,” he added. “Like, I don’t have a seat that I can say I’m definitely going to be driving.
“But I’ll still be around and trying to put work in to be back.”
Red Bull and Mercedes are one of only a handful of teams that bring a reserve driver to every race on the F1 calendar.
Speaking last week ahead of the US Grand Prix, Ricciardo suggested he was hoping to remain involved in F1 in some capacity in 2023.
“You will see me around,” he said.
“It’s going to look different for me, but there is still very much still a plan in place.
“So, it’s not that I am checking out and saying ‘see you later’, it’s far from that.
“I’m just putting in a plan to honestly try to get me back to the front of the grid and win races and do all the stuff I know I can do.”
The F1 season resumes this weekend with the Mexican Grand Prix, with lights out scheduled for 7am AEDT on Monday morning.
