Daniel Ricciardo ended his suffering with McLaren and chose the comfort of home at Red Bull. Moreover, the Australian chose peace above everything else by not signing with a team to stay on the grid for 2023. This decision making Ricciardo’s future uncertain had a lot of people puzzled. However, Ricciardo’s former Red Bull teammate Mark Webber thinks otherwise.

Webber is the manager of Oscar Piastri, Ricciardo’s replacement at McLaren. However, that wasn’t the motivation behind his comments when he spoke with Speedcafe, as reported by Formula Passion.

“Listening to his words, he needs to reflect, I think that being a reserve in Red Bull is a great opportunity: it is an environment that he knows well, the agreement can benefit both the driver and Red Bull,” said Webber. (Translated by Google)

Webber further added on Ricciardo’s sabbatical. He said, “A year on the bench will seem longer to him, which can be good for him, because it may need to. Plus he can calmly make decisions about his 2024. I had a nice chat with him in Singapore about some of these things, and it’s good that he’s willing to sit on the sidelines to gauge his motivation levels .”

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Ricciardo’s mental health was definitely a defining aspect of his decision-making, which Webber agrees with. However, rejoining the Red Bull family has helped offset some damage. Some, not all. This is exactly why Ricciardo has asked for some leeway in his third-driver duties. In fact, a party-loving Ricciardo missed his first part with Red Bull because of his dejected state.

Daniel Ricciardo sends a dejected message across for missing his first Red Bull get together

Once Ricciardo reentered his second home, he was part of the family again. We all know, a family that eats together stays together. This was the spirit during Red Bull’s annual Christmas party. However, Ricciardo was far too pooped to even attend the party.

He did, however, send a message across to his old mates. As per a party attendee’s Instagram story, Ricciardo said, “Just give me a break guys Alright! Give me a break. I’m excited to be back, I’m back. I am excited to see many familiar faces.”

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Let’s hope Ricciardo is back to his usual self soon. Moreover, let’s hope Ricciardo is back on the grid soon.