Daniel Ricciardo admits he is "curious" to see how he fares on the Red Bull simulator as he returns to the team four years after his exit. The Australian will take the position of reserve driver at the Milton Keynes-based squad in 2023, having been left without a seat on the grid following his departure from McLaren. Despite struggling during the past two years, Ricciardo previously experienced success whilst at Red Bull and earned seven of his eight race wins with the outfit before he left at the end of 2018. He was also able to get within a tenth of a second of Max Verstappen in qualifying. As such, Ricciardo would be keen to see how he compares to his past form via the simulator.
Ricciardo 'curious' about pace in Red Bull
"Going back to Red Bull, I think there is, of course, an element of me which is curious in terms of just jumping on the sim and seeing how I do, even just for myself," Ricciardo told the Beyond The Grid podcast. "[It is] a car that, of course, it's changed in the last four years, but [it is] a car that obviously I knew well [and] had a lot of success with. "[I'm curious to see] if it just kind of brings it all back and I'm like, 'Oh yeah, this gels. This is me.'" Ricciardo feels that this could be important for his confidence going forwards. "I'll be able to get an idea [from the sim]," he explained. "I think I'll know. Obviously, if I'm there on lap times on the sim, I think that would give me the confidence that then I could obviously replicate it on track. "But if I'm half a second off on the sim, then maybe I've got old!"
Would Ricciardo test 2021 Red Bull car?
While Ricciardo will be on the sidelines in 2023, he would be open to the opportunity of getting behind the wheel of Red Bull's 2021 F1 car. "I think if I had the opportunity, yes [I would take it]," the 33-year-old said. "To feel the car, of course, but more just to stay a little bit sharp. "I'm not a driver that's putting my hand up for testing all the time. Testing doesn't excite me that much, being transparent with you. But I know that it would do good for me, and especially if I'm not racing in 2023. "Of course, even if I train every day – which I won't – but even if I do, you're not driving an F1 car so your body won't go through the G-forces, so even just to kind of keep my body a little bit in tune, I'd say yes to some testing opportunities."
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