Ricciardo details how change of approach has benefitted him since F1 return

Having started 2023 on the sidelines in a reserve role for Red Bull after losing his McLaren drive, the 34-year-old Australian was drafted in to replace the underperforming Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri after just 10 races. 

Eight-time grand prix winner Ricciardo has revealed how a change of approach has benefitted him during his comeback. 

“I’ve definitely cut back on a lot of things, let’s say, outside of racing, for sure,” Ricciardo explained. “I still have some other interests outside of the sport, which I’m involved in, and I enjoy, but I’ve minimised a lot.

“I’m really just trying to, I think, make sure that… I think it always has been, but to obviously make the racing the priority. 

“With the calendar now and the schedule, if I’ve got some time off, then I’m either in the gym or I’m putting my feet up and recovering for the next race.”

Ricciardo, who helped AlphaTauri seal eighth place in the 2023 constructors’ championship, continued: “I think just kind of prioritising a few things outside of this job. Especially the way the sport’s growing, it’s easy to get a little bit – I don’t even want to say lost – but there’s just so much going.

“There’s so many things that you can be doing. It’s all really exciting and really fun, and I am… I love that stuff, of course, because it’s obviously a new experience and it’s great.

“But I think having the time off for the start of the year, I realised that I was probably just doing too much sometimes and probably even just not prioritising myself in terms of my body and my recovery and all that. So, in a long way of saying it, just trying to focus on that.”

Ricciardo will once again partner Yuki Tsunoda at AlphaTauri this season but has his eyes firmly set on securing a full-time return to Red Bull for 2025.