Daniel Ricciardo: Prolonged break has refuelled my F1 desire

Daniel Ricciardo says an extended winter break forced by the COVID-19 pandemic has reaffirmed his desire in Formula 1 and “definitely reminded me how much I miss it”.

After the opening 10 races of the 2020 season were called off because of coronavirus, the heavily delayed campaign will finally begin next month with back-to-back races in Austria on July 5 and July 12, kicking off a run of eight European-based events in 10 weeks.

By the time the season resumes, drivers will have gone seven months since they last raced competitively at the 2019 season-finale in Abu Dhabi in December.

Ricciardo returned to the track for he first time since Barcelona pre-season testing concluded at the end of February last week as he conducted a day’s running in a 2018-spec Renault at the Red Bull Ring as the French manufacturer stepped up its preparations for the 2020 season opener.

"The biggest thing I took from the time out of the seat and the time away from the racing was how much I missed it, how much I love it, and how much I want to continue to do it," Ricciardo told the Sky F1 Show.

"There are times when it does get you down and you're like 'ah, do I want to do this for another five years or am I going to be done in a year or so?' But not having it definitely reminded me how much I miss it.

"So, it certainly fuelled me to want to stay and be successful in the sport for many years to come.”

Ricciardo is heading into final season with Renault before he makes the switch to McLaren for 2021 to replace the Ferrari-bound Carlos Sainz, who in turn is taking the seat vacated by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel.

The 30-year-old Australian recently explained his reasoning behind the move after just two years at Renault but admitted the call was not absolutely “clear cut”.

"Obviously these things take time, so it didn't happen over the course of a week or two weeks,” he explained.

"The reality is it's still not like a clear-cut decision, I guess. Yes, McLaren certainly stood out last year - no mistake. They were the team on the grid who made the biggest progress, so there's the appeal with that.

"But in saying that I didn't expect us at Renault to fight for wins or podiums last year. I know that we didn't achieve what we wanted but there was still room to grow and to do that. But I guess just seeing what McLaren had done, that was probably a little bit more to convince me.

"There are arguments for and against. Time will tell if the one I've made is the right one."