The RB driver details how he nearly ended up joining Ferrari for a season to partner Charles Leclerc.
Daniel Ricciardo has disclosed the full details of his discussions regarding the possibility of joining the Formula 1 team Ferrari.
Mercedes surprised the driver market by announcing that Lewis Hamilton would be departing the team at the conclusion of the 2024 season to join Ferrari.
Ricciardo had previously been associated with a seat at Ferrari for the 2021 season, alongside Charles Leclerc, following Sebastian Vettel’s decision to leave the team for Aston Martin.
Ultimately, the Australian driver ended up at McLaren, but he was considered as a contender for the Ferrari seat before they ultimately chose Carlos Sainz.
He informed the media that although there were discussions, it never reached the stage of presenting a contract for signing. It never progressed to that extent,” he stated.
“So it never came close to being in my possession, and while I did participate in some conversations, I would say it only reached the initial stage and never advanced to the second or third.
“It was never extremely close, especially considering they were a prominent team, so it was always something I was monitoring at the time.”
Ricciardo: I try not to put too much weight on stuff like that
Ricciardo has a connection to Italy as his father was born in the country. However, when making his decision, he consciously avoided considering this cultural association and heritage of the team. Instead, he focused solely on their competitiveness on the track.
Ricciardo stated, “I never wanted to solely base my decision on the idea of being a Ferrari driver one day. I took a more straightforward approach, considering if it works and if the timing is right, then maybe it could happen. But I didn’t invest all my hopes into it.”
He emphasized that, ultimately, Ferrari is a highly esteemed race team, but it is still just a race team like any other. He tries not to give too much importance to all the additional aspects that come with it.
Instead, he will compete in his 14th season in F1 alongside the Red Bull sister team, RB, after taking over from Nyck de Vries during the previous year.
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