Daniel Ricciardo reminds F1 world ‘I’m still here’

Daniel Ricciardo says he wants to remind the Formula 1 world that he’s “still here”.

The Australian, who lost his McLaren seat for 2023 season, did not attend the opening Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix in his new role as Red Bull’s third driver.

But he will be in Melbourne this weekend.

“It’s not about me this year,” the 33-year-old wrote on Linkedin. “It’s about the wider team and trying to contribute and help them where I can.”

Ricciardo admitted, however, that it’s the first year in over a decade in which his goals are not “100 percent about racing and competing”.

“It’s been a tough couple of years professionally, so there’s an element of that competitor in me wanting to remind people that I’m still here, still a professional and still contributing to success,” he said.

“From a personal perspective, this year for me is really feeling like a bit of a luxury to have the opportunity to do things that I’ve always wanted to and not had the time.

“I don’t want the year to pass me by, because if I am racing again next year, I’ll wish I’d made the most of the free time whilst I had it,” Ricciardo added.