Daniel Ricciardo claims he ‘never got close’ to joining Ferrari despite ‘first level’ talks

Daniel Ricciardo had been in discussions with Ferrari in the past. However, the two parties failed to make much progress over a potential contract.

Daniel Ricciardo claims he ‘never got close’ to joining Ferrari despite ‘first level’ talks

Daniel Ricciardo [L] Charles Leclerc [R] (images via IMAGO)

Daniel Ricciardo is one of the most talented drivers in Formula 1. The 34-year-old is often considered a future world champion on the grid. However, the Australian was forced to sit on the sidelines last season before returning with AlphaTauri (now VisaCashAppRB). The 2024 silly season has caused a massive impact on the driver market, started by Lewis Hamilton’s shock Ferrari switch. Now, Ricciardo has revealed his discussions with the Scuderia in the past.

The Australian driver has been linked to Ferrari in the past. Daniel Ricciardo was one of the candidates to replace Sebastian Vettel in 2021. However, Maranello opted to sign Carlos Sainz instead. Subsequently, the Honey Badger replaced Sainz at McLaren instead. Ricciardo reckoned that he has held talks with the Italian team in the past. Unfortunately, things never progressed far enough for the 34-year-old to receive a contract from the Prancing Horse.

There was conversations, but it was never it was never like 'Here's the contract, will you sign it?' It never got to that point.
Daniel Ricciardo said as reported by RacingNews365
YouTube video

Ricciardo affirmed that he discussed a potential move to Ferrari. However, discussions never materialized into a concrete contract. The Australian driver claimed that he simply had first-level talks with Maranello which failed to progress further. Despite never getting close to signing with the Scuderia, Daniel Ricciardo kept an eye on the Italian team for a potential opportunity over the years.

FS Video
So it was never close to a point where it was in my hands and I certainly engaged in some conversations, but I would say it got to the first level it never got to the second or even the third.

Daniel Ricciardo needs a good 2024 F1 season with VCARB

Daniel Ricciardo will spend another season at Faenza alongside Yuki Tsunoda. The Australian driver will be looking to have an impressive campaign to prove his worth to Red Bull. Milton Keynes has mentioned that Ricciardo is an option to replace Sergio Perez next season. However, this could be an uphill task for the 34-year-old.

Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo
Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo (Via: Imago)

Ricciardo will need to outperform his much younger teammate at VCARB this year. There will be no room for errors throughout his 2024 campaign if he wants to re-establish himself as a top driver at the pinnacle of motorsport. The Australian driver has mentioned that VCARB will improve this year as it is no longer a Red Bull junior team.

Certainly, 2024 will be a crucial year for Daniel Ricciardo. The upcoming F1 season could be make-or-break for the 34-year-old as he tries to partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull next year. As such, fans would be looking forward to seeing how things pan out for the Honey Badger this year.

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