“When you go through something, obviously it can change you a little bit and give you maybe a different perspective, or make you appreciate the good times more or understand how to handle the low,” Ricciardo said. “Or when you were down, maybe then you realise what’s important to you and what isn’t.
“So, just through all of that stuff, I think you learn a lot about yourself. And I think coming out of it, I realised that I still really love this, I still do believe in myself.”
On a deeper level rekindling his love for F1 and regaining confidence helped Ricciardo view his life and career in a different way. For the Australian to become the best version of himself, it meant working on his paddock image and being taken more seriously while also not getting lost in details like during his McLaren stint.
“I don’t want to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, because it should still be fun. And yes, I’m going to take it seriously,” he explained.
“I’m going to try to be the best version of myself. But I just don’t want it to consume every part of me to a point where I’m not enjoying other aspects of my life, because then that’s just not the way it should be. And that’s not the way I’ve always gone about racing.”
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Marshals deal with the damaged car of Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri AT04
Only two races into his F1 return with AlphaTauri, the 34-year-old encountered another setback when he broke his hand during what he described to be a “pretty pathetic crash” in practice for the Dutch Grand Prix, which he admitted “took the wind of my sails”.
“I just felt hungry and motivated again, like my old self, and I was loving it. So then for that to happen, it did temporarily take a bit of wind out of my sails,” he elaborated.
“I just tried to think…
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