Daniel Ricciardo acknowledge that Abu Dhabi Grand Prix could be his last F1 race, but could…

When Daniel Ricciardo takes to the track in Abu Dhabi this weekend it will be his McLaren swansong – and he has admitted it could even be his last ever drive in Formula One.

The 33-year-old Aussie driver was infamously sacked by the British team for the 2023 season, with McLaren signing fellow Aussie Oscar Piastri instead.

Ricciardo has been unable to secure a drive for next year and is a very real chance of taking a year away from the sport or becoming a reserve driver for a top team – but now he has confessed Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix could be the last drive of a storied career in F1.

McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo speaks with media in Abu Dhabi, where he said the race could potentially be his last time on a Formula One grid

Ricciardo gets out of his car after crashing with Haas F1 Team’s Danish driver Kevin Magnussen during the Brazil Grand Prix to cap off a year full of disastrous finishes
‘Mentally I’m not treating it like it’s going to be my last-ever race – but it could be,’ the 33-year-old, a popular figure on the circuit for 11 years, conceded to reporters at a pre-race press conference .

‘I know that nothing’s guaranteed in the future, so I’m going out to enjoy it, I’m not going to get too, let’s say, emotional about the thought that, “Oh, is it the last one or not?”

‘I do want to enjoy it and take it for what it is.’

Daniel Ricciardo acknowledge that Abu Dhabi Grand Prix could be his last F1 race, but could…

Young Aussie driver Oscar Piastri will take Ricciardo’s place at McLaren next season after a stint as reserve driver at Alpine this year
However, there could be another twist in the tale, with Ricciardo reportedly softening on his stance on driving in the IndyCar Series.

The rival category has not been on his radar, but reigning Indy 500 champion Marcus Ericsson reckons he has brought the Aussie closer to driving in the series after showing him his bling.

Ericsson raced for F1 team Alfa Romeo Sauber for five years plus a sixth year as reserve driver before making a successful switch to Chip Ganassi Racing.

Daniel Ricciardo opens up on special friendship with former Red Bull rival Sebastian Vettel – and how the German was the first person to pick up the phone when the Aussie F1 star was sacked by McLaren.

Former F1 driver David Coulthard tells Daniel Ricciardo to step away from the sport and rediscover his mojo – as he asks whether Aussie is spending too much time on his wine business
The Swedish professional racing driver has three career wins in IndyCar including the $4.6m 2022 Indianapolis 500, which also earned him a diamond-encrusted champions ring.

He is also good friends with Ricciardo and Ericsson told SpeedFreaks that his Aussie mate was mesmerised by the ring.

‘I went to Austin for the Formula One there and I was having lunch with him the Sunday before the race,’ Ericsson said.

Marcus Ericsson celebrates winning the Indianapolis 500 this year – and one of his prizes made a big impression with Ricciardo
Winner drivers in the Indy 500 get a diamond-encrusted ring as part of their prize, which has Ricciardo interested
‘We were talking about the experience and he was saying, “Yeah, IndyCar looks really cool but I’m not sold on ovals yet”.

‘And I said, “Wait a second, bud” and I showed him my Indy 500 ring with all the bling and diamonds and everything and he was like, “Oh my god, OK, I might change my mind on ovals now if that’s what you can win”.’

It comes after Ricciardo had earlier joked about the prospect of racing in the IndyCar series, saying: ‘F**k that! Ovals scare me.’

Ricciardo has previously said he’s scared by the prospect of driving on oval tracks, but might have softened that stance, if Ericsson’s remarks are anything to go by.

Ricciardo could potentially switch to IndyCar racing if he fails to find a job as a reserve driver with one of F1’s top teams
‘My Formula One career-slash-ambition is not over, so that’s really like first and foremost. I don’t want to deviate, I would say primarily for that reason. But also ovals, nah.

‘Ten years ago, I would have said yes. I’m OK to admit that I’m not OK with ovals.’

In the meantime, there are no seats available for Ricciardo in 2023 now that Nico Hulkenberg is set to replace Mick Schumacher at Haas, leaving him with only reserve spots at Mercedes and Red Bull.

His reputation has taken a whack because of awful results in 2022, but the Australian has vowed to be present in F1 next season in some capacity.

‘Hopefully you can see my good looks again next year to some degree,’ he said.