Ricciardo reveals F1 comeback plan: “Movies and junk food? That’s just not me”

The veteran driver, speaking in his home country at the F1 Australian Grand Prix where he is conspicuously absent from driving, has previously been non-committal about ever returning.

He was axed by McLaren last season, turned down several opportunities including at Haas, and is currently Red Bull’s third driver.

• F1 2023 Australian Grand Prix - Friday Practice Results

Ricciardo described his year so far without an F1 drive: “I’ve actually weirdly found the days that I’ve got no schedule, they are the days that I’ve actually done training.

“It’s not being my own boss, but writing my own schedule has actually brought out a lot of things in me.

“I thought ‘I’ll just sit on the couch and watch movies all day and eat junk food’, but I’m not. That’s not me.

“So even these things made me realise how much I do care about it.

“The signs are pointing towards getting back on the grid.

“I feel like that’s currently where I’m tracking, at least in my head. Just a little few other habits that I’m having or doing is pointed towards that.”

Quite where Ricciardo might go is unknown.

Red Bull are unlikely to lose Sergio Perez to create a vacancy, while in the unlikely event Lewis Hamilton left Mercedes, they might not turn to Ricciardo first.

Options further down the grid, for example Haas or Williams, could emerge.

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The Australian Grand Prix is the first race of 2023 that Ricciardo has attended, and he said: “The fizz is there. I’m also content being here this weekend and not racing. I’m content just being part of the team.

“I’m happy to learn from the outside because I think I will see more.

“I feel like I still need a bit of this time to understand a little more, with the perspective I’ve got to kind of complete me as a driver moving forward.

“So I’m not yet champing at the bit to get in the car but it does feel good to be here.

“I’m going to sit on the pit wall during the sessions and I’m sure I’ll be watching the drivers pull out of the pits and be ‘oh, it would be cool to be in the car’.

“But I’m not yet foaming at the mouth. I’m still just trying to be a sponge.

“I see the advantage, of course; every driver on the grid now has the advantage of being behind the wheel. But I have the advantage of looking at it through a wide-angle lens.”