Ricciardo willing to consider IndyCar but without oval tracks

Daniel Ricciardo does not want to rule out a move to IndyCar but is not exactly eager to move to the American racing class either. The Australian tells Formel1.de that there are two main reasons still holding back the switch for him.

After it was announced that Ricciardo will be replaced by Oscar Piastri at McLaren at the end of this season, the question of what Ricciardo's future will look like quickly surfaced. It has since become clear: Ricciardo will take a break from the sport next year, aiming to return to the grid in 2024. His plan appears to be to work as a reserve driver for Mercedes or Red Bull.

Before this exact plan was revealed, there were sounds that Ricciardo could yet make a move to IndyCar competition. It would be a good opportunity for Ricciardo to stay in racing form and show what he can do. His love for America may also be obvious, evident from the way he arrived at the Austin circuit, for example.

Two main reasons not to do it anyway (yet)

Ricciardo is not ruling out the switch but says for now he is focused on the plan to return to a Formula One cockpit in 2024. " It's not a definite no," said the Australian. But there are two caveats. "I know I'm not getting any younger but I still say not yet. I'm not ready to try it yet."

In addition, Ricciardo says he does not want to race on the oval tracks, which are known to be particularly dangerous and much less technically challenging. It would not be impossible to run a season without the oval circuits, this has been done in the past. But then Ricciardo can forget about a title.

Should Ricciardo indeed make the switch, he would by no means be the first Formula 1 driver to try his luck in IndyCar. This year, for instance, former F1 drivers Romain Grosjean and Marcus Ericcson drove in the competition. Legendary drivers Nigel Mansell and Emerson Fittipaldi even managed to win a championship in IndyCar in addition to their Formula 1 titles.