Button questions Ricciardo’s sabbatical decision for 2023

Ricciardo’s options were limited to just Alpine, Haas and Williams for 2023 after being dropped by McLaren in favour of fellow countryman, Oscar Piastri.

Alpine opted to sign Pierre Gasly instead, while Ricciardo didn’t want to move down towards the tail end of the field with Haas, even though Guenther Steiner hinted that the team would be very interested in signing him for F1 2023.

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Ricciardo will sit out next year, taking on a reserve driver role with one of F1’s leading teams, likely to be Mercedes.

With the leading teams having their star drivers locked into longer term deals, Button doesn’t understand the logic behind Ricciardo’s decision to take a year off.

"I guess he didn't want to drop too far down the grid and work with a team that's more towards the rear, because it's difficult for a driver coming from a team that is almost winning races at times to suddenly know you're fighting for points," Button told Any Driven Monday.

"It is tough. But I still think it would have been a better move for him.Go into a team, work hard, show people what you can do, in a car that maybe suits your car a bit more, and then people forget what happened the year before.

“That's the issue now, people forget how good Ricciardo is because he's had such a difficult year and a half or two years. But he has the talent, and in a car that suits him, he would show his skill and then he has the opportunity to race in a top team again. But sitting out? People just remember what happened last year.

“It's a tricky one and I really struggle to see him coming back to a competitive team after having a year out.”

Speaking after his spectacular drive to seventh at the F1 Mexico City Grand Prix, Ricciardo reiterated that he still has the hunger to be on the grid for 2024.

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"I still want to be in the sport, and I want to be working with a team still with the ambition to be back on the grid in 2024," he added. I feel like a bit of time away from a race seat will do me good, and then try to rebuild on something for 2024.

"I'm not done but it will look a bit different."