Daniel Ricciardo has admitted he could walk away from Formula 1 if the right opportunity doesn't present itself after his sacking from McLaren.
The Australian veteran and his McLaren recently confirmed their split with the 33-year-old hoping to find a new seat for the 2023 season.
When asked what would happen if he couldn't find the right F1 team, Ricciardo revealed he would consider stepping away from racing for a 12-month period.
"If it made sense, yes," Ricciardo said in a press conference prior to this weekend's Belgian GP.
"It’s the only racing I’m interested in at this stage of my career.
"F1 is what I love and it’s where I see myself if I’m doing any racing.
"But if the stars don’t align and it doesn’t make perfect sense next year (to join another team) and it means taking that time off to reset and re-evaluate and that’s the right thing to do then I’m willing to."
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) August 24, 2022
Since joining McLaren in 2021, Ricciardo has only managed one podium finish - an extraordinary victory at the Italian Grand Prix last year.
The Australian has found himself in a driver merry-go-round, which could see fellow countryman Oscar Piastri take his seat in 2023. He is the leading contender to be confirmed in the now vacant McLaren seat.
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Despite the negative situation he finds himself in, Ricciardo defiantly spoke of the belief he still has in his racing abilities and his passion for the sport.
"I still love the sport," he said.
"Through all this adversity I haven’t lost confidence in myself. For sure we’ve had some tough weekends - and you can’t help but show emotions sometimes - but I still love it and I still want to do it competitively and in the right place.
"I never wanted to be a driver to just make up the numbers, if I’m here I want to be here for a purpose. So I don’t know what that means yet, for the future. But of course if it’s the right opportunity this is where I want to be."
Ricciardo's most likely option to race in Formula 1 in 2023 is Alpine but there may be some lingering tension after he left the team - when it was called Renault - for McLaren two years ago.
