09/12/2022
NEWS STORY
Having failed to secure a place on the 2023 F1 grid, Daniel Ricciardo will be making a cross-country tour of the US by motorcycle.
With McLaren opting to drop the Australian in favour of countryman Oscar Piastri, Ricciardo has settled for a reserve role at Red Bull which will mainly include simulator and promotional duties.
In a bid to prepare re-set himself for a targeted return to the grid in 2024, Ricciardo has admitted that he will be spending as much time away from the F1 circus as possible and one of the ways in which he will be occupying his time is a road trip across his beloved US.
"I'm really trying to find a balance of still staying in the sport, to some degree, but giving myself time to, again, just have time for me," he tells Speedcafe.com.
"That's even as simple as even just getting more time to myself to train, to spend in the gym, to get better, whatever," he adds. "That's what people also don't understand.
"I'm sorry, I'm not attacking them," he explains, "but our schedules are so busy that I might train one day a week."
"Just taking more time for me to do things, prioritise some other things but also I'm trying to plan a ride across America," he reveals. "That's something that I know will be yes, exciting, fun, but I'll also just get so much self-reflection time.
"That stuff, for me, is really powerful; just being alone and going through nature. All these things, they're things I'm looking forward to.
"And I think getting enough alone time as well will answer a lot of questions and give me clarity moving forward," he insists, "if 2024 is the best thing for me to be back on the grid or not.
"Then it's up to teams as well to feel like I'm worthy, but think I'll just answer a lot of questions for myself next year."
What's the betting that there's a Netflix crew in tow for that road trip.