Daniel Ricciardo admitted this weekend's race "could be" the last of his Formula 1 career – but he remains hopeful that won't be the case.
The Aussie will bow out of the sport after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It will be the final act of an ill-fated two-year spell with McLaren, during which he has struggled to adapt to the demands of the car and largely failed to perform to expectations.
Aged 33, he feels he still has more to give in F1 and is planning a return to racing in 2024. But, speaking to reporters, he admitted there is no guarantee he will get the opportunity to fulfil that desire.
"Mentally I'm not treating it like it’s going to be my last ever race, but it could be," he said. "I know that nothing's guaranteed in the future so I'm going out to enjoy it, I'm not going to get too emotional about the thought that 'oh, is it the last one or not?'
"But I do want to enjoy it and just take it for what it is. I've got a grid penalty. I normally go better when I have penalties." He then joked: "I actually asked for a five place penalty, but three will do so, yeah, there we go."
Asked if he has made any significant progress in terms of sorting what he will do in 2023, Ricciardo added: "Not yet. I mean, I say progress, yes. But still nothing's confirmed. But progress is being made. So we'll see. Yeah, hopefully, you can see my good looks again next year, to some degree."
The Aussie has held discussions with both Mercedes and Red Bull over a potential reserve role for next season. The latter, though, is understood to be the most likely option for Ricciardo, who race for the team for five seasons earlier in his F1 career.
After initially reporting Ricciardo's discussions with Red Bull, Mirror Sport understands talks have progressed with his old team – but that it is still too early to say for sure whether a deal will be signed and sealed.
As for Mercedes, they could be well-placed to offer Mick Schumacher a reserve role following his Haas axing. "I make no secret of the fact that the Schumacher family belongs to Mercedes and that we appreciate Mick very much, team principal Toto Wolff told reporters.
