Ricciardo responds to Red Bull rumours

The Australian driver has been tipped with a potential return to his former team, who he departed originally at the conclusion of the 2018 season to join Renault – known now as Alpine.

However, Ricciardo returned to the Milton Keynes-based side ahead of the 2023 campaign as their Development driver, following the termination of his contract at McLaren.

After six months carrying out marketing and simulator work for the Austrians, the 34-year-old found himself back on the grid at AlphaTauri [now RB], as a result of being chosen as Nyck de Vries' replacement following the British Grand Prix.

Whilst Ricciardo missed several races during the second half of the season following his FP2 crash at Zandvoort – in which he fractured a metacarpal in his left hand – the Aussie did enough to be offered a permanent seat on the 2024 grid at Red Bull's sister team.

His experience is invaluable for the rebranded squad, and he's thoroughly enjoying collaborating with them. However, the general consensus is that his eyes are on bigger things.

Things can unravel 'quickly'

Ricciardo is one of several drivers to have been linked to Sergio Perez's Red Bull seat, as the Mexican's contract expires this year. Red Bull offering a seat to Ricciardo for 2025 would be the fairytale ending to his F1 career, although it's not something he's currently thinking about following RB launching their 2024 car.

"I look at it in a way of not looking too far ahead," Ricciardo exclusively told RacingNews365. "So I look at it, but I don't because I really just need to focus.

"Especially my years at McLaren... obviously, when it doesn't go well it can really unravel quickly, so I never want to get too far ahead of myself in this sport anymore.

"And I think with the experience, I definitely understand now, coming back into the sport, what experience does and yes, of course, lap times and performance have always been number one.

"But experience, especially now with a team like this and trying to build something, it does play quite a vital part and it does have its value.

"I think when the team is able to kind of lean on me for things perhaps and my information is helping them, that feels good as well, you know, like when you're collaborating.

"That's a good feeling, so I'll look to be fast but use my experience when I can."