Daniel Ricciardo has held talks over a possible return to Red Bull from next season, Mirror Sport understands.
The Australian currently drives for McLaren, but is set to drop off the grid in 2023. His contract will be terminated a year earlier than originally planned, owing to his ongoing struggles for consistency in a car which has proven difficult for him to grasp.
In the summer, McLaren confirmed they would be parting company with Ricciardo, and replacing him with rookie Oscar Piastri. With the Haas seat the only one remaining after Williams declared their intention to promote F2 driver Logan Sargeant, it seems unlikely the 33-year-old will have a race seat.
He is determined to remain within the F1 world, in the hope of returning to a race seat in 2024. Previous rumours have linked him with a move to Mercedes, whose current reserve Nyck de Vries will leave to race for AlphaTauri next year.
But Sky Sports reported on Saturday that is unlikely to happen. Now, a new potential destination has emerged – Mirror Sport understands there have been talks over a return to Red Bull, for whom he drove for five seasons between 2014 and 2018, as a reserve.
No deal has been agreed between the two parties as of yet, but it is a viable option for Ricciardo which would see him remain in the paddock. It would also see him return to familiar surroundings, which may be much-needed after his struggles with Renault and McLaren since leaving the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
As a reserve, Ricciardo's would help the team with their car development. There may also be opportunities for him to race if either Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez were forced to miss a weekend for any reason, while the team's links with AlphaTauri may also put him at the top of the list if they were to need a stand-in at short notice.
Asked at the United States Grand Prix this weekend if he has any concrete plans for the future, Ricciardo said: "I don't, I don't. For now, everything is just rumours. Am I talking? Yes. But there's no pen on paper or anything like that yet."
Whatever he does next year, the long-term plan remains the same. "I still have ambitions for 2024," he added. So I won't completely disconnect from the sport, but obviously nothing's guaranteed for 2024. I don't have a seat that I can say I'm definitely going to be driving. But I'll still be around and trying to put work in to be back."
