Daniel Ricciardo ended his McLaren career in style with a ninth-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and signed off with donuts as the Australian reflected on a “tricky” two-year stint with the team.
Speaking to reporters after his final drive of the season, Ricciardo once again confirmed he would be taking time off in 2023 but admitted Red Bull is a “likely” landing spot.
There, Ricciardo is expected to take on a role as a reserve and test driver, although he added that he would not be going to all of next season’s scheduled 24 races.
“Otherwise, I may as well be on the grid somewhere,” he said.
“I made it clear that I need some time off for myself to get away a little bit. But I’ll be around and try to stay involved.”
It was not just Ricciardo’s farewell race though, with friend and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel going around for the last time in his career.
The pair embraced after the race, although there was actually more than just pride on the line when the two were fighting it out for ninth position on the final lap on Monday morning.
Aston Martin needed Vettel to overtake Ricciardo to earn the team $12 million ($A18m) according to Sky Sports as it would have seen them overtake Alfa Romeo in the constructor’s championship.
Instead, Ricciardo took out ninth place to push Vettel back to 10th, doing Aston Martin a favour in the process.
Speaking after his final race at McLaren to Sky Sports, Ricciardo opened up on his difficult final year at the team and his struggle for consistency.
“There were certainly some races where I felt more comfortable,” he said.
“The difficulty, the struggle was that encouraged me and then all of a sudden, a week later, we were back where we were. The inconsistency, the unknown, was what made it so tricky but I am happy to have had a few nice [races] since the summer break.”
While his last year at McLaren may not have gone to plan, Ricciardo said he leaves with one key lesson from his time at the team — the importance of having “perspective”.
“It is so easy to get caught up in competition,” Ricciardo said.
“We devote so much time to it and when it is not going well you can so easily get angry, frustrated and bitter. Get so many negative emotions towards something you truly love.”
“Perspective allowed me to maintain happiness and appreciation. You have your days but is a privilege to do what we love – it is such a fun sport. The surroundings, the travel, all the people we meet. Whatever you do in life, gratitude helps you move forward a lot.”
As for where we will see Ricciardo next year, the Australian said Red Bull is “the highly likely place” for him.
“I can’t say 100 per cent until things are signed off but that is certainly what is closest now,” he added.
