Daniel Ricciardo was looking “sad” at last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, according to Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz.
Ricciardo’s appearance at his home Grand Prix was actually the first time he’d been in the paddock this season, since taking a step-back from racing.
He is, of course, currently working for Red Bull as a development driver, with the eight-time F1 race winner having been spotted on the pit wall.
Kravitz told the Aussie that sitting on the pit wall “wasn’t a good look” for the 33-year-old and that he looked “sad”, to which Ricciardo informed the reporter that his time on the bench wasn’t “forever”.
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“Just a tip. I’m not sure you look good on the pit wall,” Kravitz said.
“I look good in these colours though right?” Ricciardo asked Kravitz.
“You do (look good), but don’t go on the pit wall,” Kravitz responded.
“It wasn’t a good look. It made me sad.
“Did I look a bit lonely? It’s alright. I can do it for a year,” Ricciardo said.
“It’s alright. It’s not forever.”
Ricciardo’s final comment perhaps hints at a return in 2024, whether that be in F1 or another category.
Following on from his conversation with the Australian, Kravitz continued to walk down the pits, before adding that Ricciardo looked like somebody “in pain” and “hating” his job.
“I just get the sense that he’s starting to feel it a little bit,” he said.
“He’s starting to feel the pain of not being a Formula 1 driver.
“I saw Danny Ricc on the Red Bull pit wall watching the sessions and he looked to be in pain and he looked to be hating it.
“You don’t want to be there Danny Ricc. You don’t want to be there watching everyone go around doing what you used to love.
“It’s not a good place. Don’t do it. Don’t be on the pit wall. It’s much better for Danny Ricc to be in with the engineers which is where he’s been for all the other times, not on the pit wall.”
Ricciardo openly admitted ahead of the recent Grand Prix that he is starting to consider a return to action, with the ex-McLaren driver believing that he’d be a “complete version” of himself should he get a spot on the grid.
“The signs are pointing towards getting back on the grid,” Ricciardo said on Thursday, as reported by Foxsports.com.
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“I feel like that’s currently where I’m tracking, at least in my head. … I’ve even put myself in scenarios now where I’m like, if I got back on the grid tomorrow, what would I do differently?
“You just don’t have the chance when you’re in it. But I also think that everything happens for a reason.
“Having the chance to step back and just review everything from afar, and with the luxury of time as well, not to be forced to make a decision or rush anything, I feel that if I’m to get back on the grid, I honestly believe I’ll be a better version of myself. A more mature, experienced, complete version.”