Daniel Ricciardo: Break from racing will do me good

Lewis Hamilton and some of the other drivers who raced the second stint of the Mexican Grand Prix on the hardest compound tires later admitted that this was not the most effective tactic.

But Daniel Riccaro was luckier than many: the Australian only pitted on lap 44, switched tires from Medium to Soft, returned to the race in 13th and finished seventh, ahead of several rivals along the way, including beating Yuki Tsunoda off the job.

Ricciardo was given a 10-second penalty for a collision with a Japanese AlphaTauri racer, but on soft tires he showed quite a fast pace, which allowed him to compensate for the penalty and not lose his position.

“We had this plan: if we are among the last in our group of cars, then we have the opportunity to do something, especially if the rest go to the pits early enough,” Daniel commented on the choice of tactics. “I don’t think I went very fast on the Medium set I started with, but I managed to control the degradation of the rubber quite well so we were confident we could stay on track for a long time.

And then we decided, “Why not try?” We have a good chance to pass the second segment offensively. When the condition of the tires is better than the competition, and you can go faster as a result, it’s always nice. You have the ability to pressure them, so of course we discussed that scenario beforehand.”

Fans appreciated the bright fighting style in which the Australian spent the end of the Grand Prix, and according to the results of the vote, he was recognized as the “Rider of the Day”. It seems all the more strange that Daniel will not be in Formula 1 next year, although he assures us that we will still see him in the paddock.

“I can say with confidence that I will not start the championship, but I want to stay in Formula 1. I want to work with one of the teams to get back behind the wheel in 2024,” he told Sky Sports. – Frankly, I think a short break in the race will do me good, also psychologically. And in a year I will try to find a new option.

Let’s put it this way: I’m not giving up, although the outlook looks slightly different now. Of course, the past two years have not been easy, especially if you do everything you can but do not get a return – anyone can lose heart …

I know from my own experience that sometimes even a short summer break in the championship can play a very important role. You have the opportunity to look at what’s happening from the side, as if from a different angle, because the season’s calendar is so close that you just don’t have the opportunity to reorganize in any way.

Obviously all people are different, but I really believe that the opportunity to miss the season was given to me from above, that this is kind of a blessing. I will try to keep my worries less – in the hope that this will allow me to achieve more in the future.

My plan is to stay in the paddock, but to be honest I don’t know in what capacity yet. I am of course in talks with several teams because I want to keep the door open with a view to 2024. I won’t say that there are many of these teams, but there are plenty, and my interest in possible collaboration does not fade, I am quite optimistic.”