Decision on F1’s future can’t be ’emotional’

McLaren announced before the Belgian Grand Prix that he would part ways with Ricciardo at the end of this season.

alpineHaas and Williams all have open spots that could be options for Ricciardo.

The Australian has revealed he wants to go through the Spa/Zandvoort/Monza triple before taking a serious look at what is available from his management team.

“I certainly try to give them guidance,” he said. “But everything is also too fresh. I guess you have to be careful, and that’s just in general, especially with a decision like that, that nothing can be emotional.

“That’s why I want to talk about it as soon as the triple header is over. Spa was Spa, but suddenly we were back to another weekend. So I probably won’t be able to completely switch off and sit back until the end of the triple header.

“So I’m not really telling them no to anything. It’s like, let’s get it all. And then after the triple header, maybe we’ll see what’s available.

“And I’ll probably know more where my head is at, and then I’ll start to maybe tick some boxes and cross some off. I’m saying it like there’s going to be a million options. Probably not! But yeah, I’m very open-minded.”

When asked if he would be interested in a “project”, in other words, using his experience of winning races to help a team like Haas or Williams progress, he did not rule it out.

“I think because I still love him, I can definitely still love the project.

“But of course, if it’s like a longer project like this, or one where you’re going to win tomorrow, I prefer quick wins! These are things I will definitely think about.

“And I also don’t want to be too stubborn or short-sighted like, oh, no, I’m not interested in that. I’ll give everything my respected opinion.”

Another possibility is a sabbatical and perhaps a year as a reserve driver for one of the top three teams, allowing him to consider any options that may open up in 2024.

“I’m pretty open-minded about any scenario. I think there are pros and cons to all of these. I think there are advantages to being on vacation.

“So at the moment these 18 months or so have been more challenging than not, so maybe for a while it will benefit me, but obviously staying active is good.

“That’s why I kind of want to hear everything. Even if it’s low-key, I don’t want to be too proud to say ‘too good for that’ or whatever. I just want to hear everything and see what makes sense.

“And again, that might be what sets me up better for the future. And next year is one of those years where maybe a little bit of patience is needed.”