Daniel Ricciardo has 2023 ‘plan’ amid hope for F1 return | George Russell: We’d

Daniel Ricciardo finished a superb seventh at the Mexico City GP and told Sky Sports F1 afterwards that he still wants to “keep a foot in the door” of Formula 1 next year, with Mercedes linked; “We’d like to see that,” says George Russell

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Daniel Ricciardo feels that his collision with Yuki Tsunoda was not ‘100 per cent his fault’ and also shares his plans and aims for the future

Daniel Ricciardo believes a break from Formula 1 will be a “blessing in disguise” and has confirmed he is still talking to “certain teams” about a reserve role in 2023, with George Russell giving his Mercedes endorsement.

Since seeing his McLaren contract cancelled in August, Ricciardo has seen his viable F1 options dry up and now the only seat available on the grid at Haas, who the eight-time race winner is not interested in driving for.

The Mexico City GP was, however, a welcome reminder of Ricciardo’s talents as the Australian finished a ‘best of the rest’ seventh despite picking up a 10-second penalty for a collision with Yuki Tsunoda.

“I can confidently say that I won’t be on the grid behind a wheel [next year],” Ricciardo told Sky Sports F1 afterwards. “But 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.

“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.

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McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo drove into Yuki Tsunoda, with the AlphaTauri driver forced to retire from the Mexico City Grand Prix as a result

“I’m not done but it will look a bit different.”

Ricciardo, who has struggled alongside Lando Norris since joining McLaren in 2021, added: “No doubt, the last two years have been quite hard especially when you put a…