Mercedes reserve role would be win or bust move for Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo is out of a job. He will be dropped by McLaren at the end of the 2022 Formula 1 season. Ricriado is considering a move to Haas or Williams. He is not interested in staying on the Formula One grid at all costs. McLaren will pay him a lot for not driving one of its cars next year. The team will not stand in the way of Ricio's racing elsewhere in F1. It is unlikely that he will accept a non-racing role. There are four teams left on Formula one's grid. They are: Alpine, Williams, Haas and Mick Schumacher's old team, Red Bull.

Ricciardo wants to stay in Formula One and wants a race seat for 2023. He is considering taking a sabbatical from the sport with a view to a return in 2024. If he is offered a reserve driver role at Mercedes, he would be able to benchmark himself against regular drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. If Hamilton decides to retire at the end of next season, Ricciardo would get a realistic shout of a drive in the 2024 season. Aston Martin, Williams and McLaren are all Mercedes customers. The team is also a customer of Ferrari. Lewis has said Riccio is too talented to be a Mercedes reserve.