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Daniel Ricciardo is all set to make a comeback on the racetrack after being sidelined as Red Bull’s third driver. He will take the seat for the Hungarian Open with AlphaTauri, with whom he has raced earlier, replacing Nyck de Vries. Speaking about his career, Ricciardo said that he would keep racing even if he won a world title.
This statement from the Australian comes in reference to F1 driver Nico Rosberg, who retired after winning a world title in 2016. “If I am a world champion, I don’t know if I’ll be retired, because that would mean that things are going well," he said in an interview with Crash.net. The Australian driver explained that while he “gets” the reason why Nico Rosberg chose to step away, he also felt like the retirement was a year early.
“If I was to win a world title next year, no I wouldn’t retire. But if I was to win one in five years, maybe then I’d be like, ‘That’s a great way to sign off’,” he continued.
Ricciardo doesn’t want to hold on to F1 out of fear
The 34-year-old maintains that it is only good to keep racing if you have the drive and passion to compete, not because you're scared of retiring. He said, “If you are kind of hanging onto the sport because you are scared of what happens next, then that’s where it’s maybe it’s like it’s getting a bit long. I think that’s one thing where, speaking of me personally, this year I feel a lot more [comfortable] about the day I do officially retire. I’m not scared about retirement.”
Ricciardo began his career with the 2011 British Grand Prix. In a 12-year career, he has won eight Grand Prix and 32 podiums in F1.
