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Like every other that has gone before, the final race of the 2022 Formula 1 season in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is a time for reflection. A time to think reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the campaign coming to a close or perhaps left with the dreams of what might have been had X, Y or Z gone slightly differently. However, for some, they are bidding goodbye to the F1 paddock for what could - and in the case of at least one will, be the final Grand Prix of their racing career. There's also one or two things from the 2022 season which hopefully won't be a factor going into '23, so TheFOXposts.Com has rounded everything up ahead of the race weekend in Abu Dhabi. Farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye Although our departing drivers breaking into song and channeling their inner children from 1965 classic The Sound of Music, is unlikely, at least four drivers will be biding: ...

Daniel Ricciardo hopes "his good looks" will still be seen in the Formula 1 paddock in 2023 as he prepares for what could be his last F1 race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Following poor performances at McLaren, the team elected to pay up the final year of his contract to make room for Oscar Piastri, who will partner Lando Norris next season. With Ricciardo not willing to drop down the grid to join teams such as Haas or AlphaTauri - and with no interest in moving to another series - a reserve driver role has emerged as his best option. Talks with Mercedes have cooled, with the Australian linked with a return to Red Bull in the reserve role, shadowing former teammate Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez at the Milton Keynes squad. Viewed by others: Sergio Perez ...

Daniel Ricciardo will make a return to Red Bull as their third driver for the 2023 Formula 1 season. Ricciardo, who will depart from McLaren after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, was confirmed by Red Bull Advisor Helmut Marko following FP1 to Sky Germany . While Max Verstappen is on a multi-year contract with the team and Sergio Perez's runs until 2024, Ricciardo has said that he was looking at a reserve role for 2023 to work on options for the following year. The Australian made his debut with Red Bull during the 2014 season, having spent two years at junior team Toro Rosso. He spent five seasons with the team before making a switch to Renault in 2019, then subsequently McLaren in 2021. Despite taking the team's first win since 2012 at last year's Italian Grand Prix, Ricciardo has not met McLaren's performance expectations throughout 2022. Even though Ricciardo will take up the third driver role, Liam Lawson is expected to be the reserve driver for both A...

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has backtracked on claims that Daniel Ricciardo is set to return to the team as a reserve driver in 2023. Ricciardo has lost his spot on the grid for next season after poor performances at McLaren, and could not find an alternative. He has explored options at Mercedes and Red Bull for a reserve and third driver position, with the latter deemed the most likely destination, having raced there between 2014 and 2018. On Friday in Abu Dhabi, Marko appeared to confirm on Sky Germany that the deal was done for Ricciardo to shadow Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, but now says this is not the case. "I said if we take him as a third driver. The 'if' was lost," he explained to Motorsport Magazine. "We are talking to him but nothing has been signed yet." As for the race weekend in Abu Dhabi, Marko believes things will be a "bit closer in qualifying" but expects Red Bull to hold an advantage in the race, with Vers...

Pato O'Ward believes Daniel Ricciardo would "love" a switch to IndyCar should the Australian not make a return to the Formula 1 grid after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Poor performances at McLaren have led to Ricciardo's contract ending a year early, with the eight-time Grand Prix winner looking set for a return to Red Bull in a reserve driver role for 2023. Ricciardo is keen to return in 2024 should he be able to find a seat, but this is not guaranteed after he was not interested in a seat at Haas, believing he should be able to find better equipment. He has also dismissed the prospect of changing series in 2023 to keep racing, ruling out a switch to IndyCar or even Trackhouse Racing's Project 91 operation in NASCAR - of which Ricciardo is a big fan. Speaking in Abu Dhabi after his FP1 debut for the team, current McLaren IndyCar star O'Ward believes Ricciardo would be a perfect fit - and explained why ovals are not as daunting as is believed. ...

Daniel Ricciardo admits that reaching Q3 in his final qualifying with McLaren at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was "a bit of a relief". The Australian is coming to the end of his two-year tenure at the Woking-based squad following the mutual decision to terminate his multi-year contact early, meaning that he has been left without a race seat for 2023. With the F1 weekend at the Yas Marina Circuit set to be his last for the time being, Ricciardo was happy to qualify in P10, though he will drop three places due to a penalty for a collision with Kevin Magnussen last time out in Brazil. Ricciardo happy for himself and Vettel Given his struggles during 2022, Ricciardo was satisfied with his stronger performance in qualify ing at Abu Dhabi. "I won't miss my lack of competitiveness this year," he told Viaplay . "Qualifying certainly hasn't been my strong suit obvi...

Daniel Ricciardo is feeling "at peace " should the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix turn out to have been his last ever race in F1 . The event marked Ricciardo's final Grand Prix with the McLaren team, following the mutual decision to terminate his multi-year contract early. With the Australian being left without a race seat in 2023, he looks set to spend the year on the sidelines as a reserve driver, most likely for the Red Bull team. Whilst his aim is to return to the grid in 2024, Ricciardo acknowledged that this is not a certainty following the race in Abu Dhabi, in which he scored points with a P9 finish. Ricciardo 'relieved' after 2022 season finale Following a difficult final season with McLaren , Ricciardo was left feeling more content with his performance at the Yas Marina Circuit, so much so that he would be accepting of it should it be his last Formula 1 race. ...

Daniel Ricciardo has been announced as Red Bull's reserve driver for the 2023 season, joining forces with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Following Ricciardo's exit from McLaren at the end of this season after a two-year spell, the Australian will make a return to the Milton Keynes team as third driver. Red Bull confirmed that his role will focus on test outings, simulator work and commercial activities with the team. Having raced for the team from 2014-2018, the eight-time race winner returns to Red Bull after stints at Renault and McLaren. Viewed by others: Mick Schumacher Schumacher pinpoints the reasons for Latifi Abu Dhabi GP collision ...

Christian Horner has explained Red Bull's logic for bringing Daniel Ricciardo back to the Milton Keynes team. Red Bull have announced the return of the eight-time Grand Prix winner as 'third driver' for next season. The Australian took seven Grands Prix victories during his time at Red Bull, which lasted from 2014 to 2018, before his stints at Renault and McLaren. A difficult season at McLaren meant he was left without a drive for next season, with Mercedes and Red Bull both becoming interested in taking the 33-year-old as reserve driver. Viewed by others: OOM6bPvIL F1 E7kbKQa08Ddi7jVsOq1psiS2IWR9uhQmv Daniel Ricciardo BREAKING: Ricciardo confirmed at Red Bull for 2023 ...

Christian Horner says Daniel Ricciardo 's new Red Bull Formula 1 contract is "for a specific reason" as rejoins the team. Ricciardo was formally announced on Wednesday as the third driver at the Milton Keynes squad, returning to the team he left in 2018 shadowing Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Given the nature of the position, and recent relations between both race drivers over a team orders refusal and allegations of a deliberate crash, there are likely to be questions concerning the security of Perez's seat, with Verstappen firmly secure at the team on a deal until 2028. However, despite Ricciardo's history with the team, Horner is quite clear on where Red Bull's loyalties lie. Horner on Ricciardo and Perez plans "Daniel's contract is very specific for a specific reason," Horner told media including TheFOXposts.Com when asked if Ricciardo cou...

Daniel Ricciardo has explained the need to "step away" from Formula 1 as the reason why he took up the third driver role at former team Red Bull. Despite taking McLaren's first victory since 2012 in his debut season with the team last year, Ricciardo has since suffered from lacklustre performances on track. The Australian says that he wanted to spend the time to "rebuild" himself, having felt that he wasn't operating at the level needed to compete in F1. "It’s certainly a way to still stay involved and to give me the time necessary to take a back step," he told Speedcafe . "As the second half of the season went on, I just needed to step away for a bit, rebuild myself, reset a bit, and also just find the intense love for it. "Because, at this level, if you don’t have that, then I'm not doing justice for myself or anyone around me. "I'm not saying I've lost it, but I'm in fear of losing it." ...

McLaren boss Zak Brown believes that should Daniel Ricciardo be given another F1 race seat opportunity , he will be able to " rebuild " his career. Ricciardo was let go by McLaren at the end of the 2022 season following poor performances alongside Lando Norris throughout his two-year stint with the Woking squad. Unable to find a solution to alleviate Ricciardo's worries, Brown elected to sign Oscar Piastri from Alpine to hand the younger Australian a race seat once a settlement was reached with eight-time Grand Prix winner Ricciardo. The Australian was unable to secure a race seat elsewhere on the 2023 grid, and so has returned to Red Bull in a third driver role shadowing Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. However, Brown still believes that Ricciardo has something to offer in F1 - and believes he will return, citing the example of Nico Hulkenberg, who last raced in 2019. Br...

Mika Hakkinen expects to see Daniel Ricciardo back on a Formula 1 grid in the future - and believes his year off in 2023 is different to his own sabbatical, which later turned into retirement. Ricciardo lost his McLaren seat at the end of the 2022 campaign after poor performances alongside Lando Norris and was not able to rectify the problems. With no other race seats available - or appealing - for 2023, Ricciardo is set for at least one year on the sidelines as third driver at Red Bull - the team he left in 2018. Double World Champion Hakkinen believes that it is just a case of Ricciardo rediscovering his mojo - and that there is one major difference between Ricciardo's situation and when the Finn stepped back in 2001. Hakkinen on Ricciardo "Daniel is a good driver, but after some years in F1 a break can be important," Hakkinen wrote in his usual Unibet column. ...

Lando Norris admits that he'll miss Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren , with the Briton acknowledging that the pair had become "good friends". Ricciardo's time with the Woking-based squad came to an end at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix following a mutual decision with the team to terminate his multi-year contract early. He will be replaced by rookie Oscar Piastri, who will become Norris' third teammate in Formula 1 . Having previously developed a good relationship with Carlos Sainz when the pair both raced at McLaren in 2019 and 2020, Norris feels that this is something he has managed to do with all of his teammates, including Ricciardo. Norris explains 'respect' for teammates "I think it's something that, with all of my teammates, I've always grown to have good relationships with them," Norris told media, including TheFOXposts.Com . "...

Daniel Ricciardo hopes that watching Formula 1 races from the sidelines in 2023 makes him " agitated " as he looks to get back into a com Pet itive seat in the future. The Australian will not be a full-time driver next year after being ousted from McLaren in favour of compatriot Oscar Piastri. Ricciardo will reunite with Max Verstappen at Red Bull after being confirmed as their third driver for 2023, a role which focuses on test outings, simulator work and commercial activities with the team. Speaking about how he might feel when he watches F1 as a spectator again, Ricciardo said that he wants it to make him feel "hungry" to get back in the car. "That's honestly a feeling which I hope makes me a little bit agitated, hungry and edgy," he told media, including TheFOXposts.Com . "Then I'll truly know that if my place is back on the grid. "If I'm watching as a fan and not really caring too much, then I also have my a...

McLaren have outlined the qualities and skills that Daniel Ricciardo brought to the team, despite his struggles during his two-year stint at the squad. It was confirmed in August that Ricciardo and McLaren had mutually agreed to terminate his multi-year contract early, resulting in the partnership coming to an end at the close of the 2022 F1 season. Ricciardo has been left without a seat on the grid in 2023, and will instead take up a reserve driver role at Red Bull. Despite enduring a difficult time at McLaren, the squad have revealed that there were aspects of Ricciardo's approach that they "appreciated immensely". Ricciardo's technical skills praised James Key – Technical Director at McLaren , who previously worked with Ricciardo in the junior days of his F1 career – believes that the eight-time race winner has brought a good technical reference to the team. ...