Ricciardo’s Altered Approach: F1 Return Marks Shift in Mindset

Daniel Ricciardo has recently opened up about his change in mindset and approach to life after he made his comeback in Formula 1 in the mid-season of 2023 after he joined AlphaTauri to replace the struggling Nyck De Vries.

Ricciardo was not even on the grid last year with any team after he parted ways with McLaren after the 2022 season. Only his former team, Red Bull,from where he rose to fame, took him in as their third driver.
But just before the middle of the season, due to Nyck De Vries’s poor performances with AlphaTauri, Red Bull’s sister team, Daniel was given the chance to drive for them. Although just after a few races, in which he did well, he got injured with a serious injury to his thumb and remained left out for the season, giving a chance to a very young Liam Lawson from New Zealand, who showcased his talents brilliantly.

But despite all this,AlphaTauri retained him( Daniel) for the 2024 season.

Now, when asked about his comeback, Daniel Ricciardo expressed his immense happiness at being back on the grid and racing, which he loves the most. He also said it’s an honour to be back on the same team where his career started.

He also emphasised the fact about the changes in his behavior, approach,  and views on life after getting an impossible second chance to be back on the F1 racing
 grid.

Ricciardo, who was sort of like an entertainer and had a very comic aura about him, is undoubtedly the funniest person on the grid.

But these recent ups and downs in his life have taught him to be more serious and strong-willed. He said that earlier he was wasting time and his concentration time to be a ‘Chocolate boy’ or ‘the funny guy’ of the F1 grid, focusing less on his career.

But now he understands the fact that he should focus on his career first and then have fun later. To him, fun is important; it’s really needed, but with that, the serious approach to a career that was missing in his life is coming to him.