Ricciardo will leave McLaren at the end of the season after agreeing a mutual split with one year remaining on his contract after a difficult spell at Woking.
Ricciardo has been clear that he is not looking to rush into a decision over his future, but remains keen to continue racing in F1 if the right opportunity presents itself.
Speaking on Australia’s Fitzy and Wippa radio show on Friday, Ricciardo said he still did not know what his future held but was carefully considering his options with his management team.
“When I say I don’t know, I don’t have a contract for next year yet,” Ricciardo said.
“Could this still happen? It could. I guess I’m not too taken with next year. Of course I want to race, I want to be on the grid, I want to compete.
“But I don’t see next year as all or nothing. Obviously 2024 is something I want to be aware of and want to watch.
“So that’s kind of where I’m at, if that means taking one step back and then taking two steps forward, then that’s what we’re trying to figure out right now, me and my team. So that might be a gap year.
Ricciardo added that if he took a year off he would “always be in the mindset to get back on the grid for 2024”.
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren, arrives on the grid
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
The only current vacant seats for 2023 are at Alpine, Alfa Romeo, Haas and Williams, although those teams’ interest in Ricciardo is unclear.
Alpine have set their sights on signing Pierre Gasly, who is under contract at AlphaTauri, who in turn has spoken to Nyck de Vries as a possible replacement.
De Vries is also subject to interest from Alpine, having tested for the team in Hungary this week, as well as Williams, with whom he made his F1 debut at Monza as a replacement for Alex Albon.
Alfa Romeo are expected to retain Zhou Guanyu after an impressive rookie season, while Haas would have Antonio Giovinazzi and Nico Hulkenberg top of the list for 2023.
Ricciardo has been linked with a potential reserve role at Mercedes for 2023, but Lewis Hamilton has said he thinks the Australian is “far too talented” not to race next year.
Ricciardo will leave McLaren at the end of the season after agreeing a mutual split with one year remaining on his contract after a difficult spell at Woking.
Ricciardo has been clear that he is not looking to rush into a decision over his future, but remains keen to continue racing in F1 if the right opportunity presents itself.
Speaking on Australia’s Fitzy and Wippa radio show on Friday, Ricciardo said he still did not know what his future held but was carefully considering his options with his management team.
“When I say I don’t know, I don’t have a contract for next year yet,” Ricciardo said.
“Could this still happen? It could. I guess I’m not too taken with next year. Of course I want to race, I want to be on the grid, I want to compete.
“But I don’t see next year as all or nothing. Obviously 2024 is something I want to be aware of and want to watch.
“So that’s kind of where I’m at, if that means taking one step back and then taking two steps forward, then that’s what we’re trying to figure out right now, me and my team. So that might be a gap year.
Ricciardo added that if he took a year off he would “always be in the mindset to get back on the grid for 2024”.
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren, arrives on the grid
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
The only current vacant seats for 2023 are at Alpine, Alfa Romeo, Haas and Williams, although those teams’ interest in Ricciardo is unclear.
Alpine have set their sights on signing Pierre Gasly, who is under contract at AlphaTauri, who in turn has spoken to Nyck de Vries as a possible replacement.
De Vries is also subject to interest from Alpine, having tested for the team in Hungary this week, as well as Williams, with whom he made his F1 debut at Monza as a replacement for Alex Albon.
Alfa Romeo are expected to retain Zhou Guanyu after an impressive rookie season, while Haas would have Antonio Giovinazzi and Nico Hulkenberg top of the list for 2023.
Ricciardo has been linked with a potential reserve role at Mercedes for 2023, but Lewis Hamilton has said he thinks the Australian is “far too talented” not to race next year.