Rumor: Ricciardo to take sabbatical from F1 in 2023 (Update)

Accepting a drive at Williams would be a significant step backwards for Ricciardo, especially as the team has shown little in the way of progress since Dorilton Capital purchased it in mid-2020.

With little on offer this year, a sabbatical has been viewed as a logical alternative – spend a year out in the hope of a better opportunity arising for 2024.

“The truth is I’m keeping every option open for not only next year, but for the future,” Ricciardo said.

“I still don’t know what next year looks like.

“I do want to be on the grid. I do want to race.

“You know, I touched on a few weeks ago that, although this has been like certainly a challenging time in my career, it hasn’t kind of taken the love of the sport away from me – that desire to still be here and still compete.

“Obviously many talks or thoughts about next year and beyond that but as I said, I’m still not sure what that looks like.”

Washed up and rejected F1 drivers (and 7-time NASCAR champions) always do have a couple of options – IndyCar and Endurance Racing. The IndyCar PR staff and media small inner circle media staff are already licking their chops at the prospect that another washed up F1 driver might be coming their way.

At 33, his prime racing age is reaching its natural end. In 2024, he will be 35. Few drivers have relaunched their careers at such an age.

Therefore, should Ricciardo fail to secure a drive on the Formula 1 grid for 2023, it will in all probability mark the end of his F1 career and the beginning of retirement racing in a lower form of racing.

Unwilling to accept he is washed up, Daniel Ricciardo is without a drive for next season and has no desire to step down to IndyCar or a back marker F1 team like Haas or Williams.

Ahead of yesterday’s Dutch Grand Prix, a clip surfaced of Ricciardo talking to Red Bull driver Sergio Perez saying he may take off a year from F1 and come back in 2024.

“Take a year off” DANIEL WTF pic.twitter.com/I5VR6odCjc

— chlo (@formulachlo) September 4, 2022

At the Belgian Grand Prix, Ricciardo stated that he would consider taking a year off from F1 if he couldn’t find a competitive drive for 2023.  Now he appears to be telling his fellow drivers the same thing.