Australian Formula One legend Alan Jones holds grave fears for Daniel Ricciardo’s future in the category, claiming he “can’t see” the eight-time winner back on the grid anytime soon.
Ricciardo enjoyed his first F1 race back in 2011 and has enjoyed a fruitful career across stints at Red Bull, Renault and McLaren.
However, the 33-year-old’s time with McLaren was undeniably his most frustrating given he finished on the podium just once: a surprise victory at Monza in 2021.
He was unceremoniously dumped by the papaya in favour of compatriot Oscar Piastri, with Ricciardo reportedly receiving a monster buyout of his contract.
Despite rampant speculation surrounding his future, Ricciardo opted not to take up a drive with one of the mid-to-lower teams on the grid, instead spending the 2023 season as Red Bull’s back-up driver.
With two-time world champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez occupying the two seats ahead of him at Red Bull, it seems unlikely Ricciardo will be racing for his former team sometime soon.
Or, if you ask Jones, any team.
“I don’t think he will get a drive at Red Bull unless something happens to the two current drivers, I can’t see him doing a Grand Prix,” Jones told The Herald Sun.
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“I doubt (he will be on the grid in 2024). At the end of the day there is probably no reason why Red Bull won’t re-sign Perez and obviously Verstappen (is locked in) and I can’t see anybody at Ferrari resigning or going away, so I just can’t see where he can go.
“Obviously everybody likes to go out on a high note and it’s just unfortunate that for whatever reason, and I don’t even think he knows himself, why his performance dropped off.
“As I said before, I just can’t see him getting back into Formula One.”
However, Jones firmly believes Ricciardo made the right choice when it came to sidelining himself instead of driving for a team likely to be stuck at the back of the pack.
“It’s very difficult when you have been at the sharp end to race in Formula One and be motivated if you are in a less competitive car,” Jones said.
“I think that’s the big worry, if you drive a less competitive car, you lose your mojo. That’s the last thing he needs to do right now is appear to be unmotivated.”
