Career switch for Ricciardo? 'He definitely has the personality for it'

Daniel Ricciardo loves the United States and the United States loves Ricciardo. The McLaren driver is very popular in the country, where he always travels with the greatest pleasure. In fact, the bond is so strong that American broadcaster ESPN is considering recruiting the driver for its broadcast team in 2023.

Ricciardo has already indicated he will not be part of the Formula 1 grid in 2023. Instead, he is focusing on a comeback, but preferably at the top. While he is taking a year off, ESPN is reportedly considering inviting him to join its broadcast team.

Meanwhile, Ricciardo has also been mentioned in a possible reserve role at Mercedes or Red Bull Racing. The McLaren driver has confirmed being in talks about such a role, although he would not name names and there is certainly no sign of a contract yet.

It is possible that he will do something completely different in his sabbatical, as the broadcaster has declared an interest in the Australian. "He’s obviously a tremendous personality that really resonates with the fans, especially in this country," said ESPN's president of programming Burke Magnus, speaking to Racer.com.

Magnus does not want to say anything specific about it and first wants to wait and see what the driver wants to do next year, but certainly sees it as a realistic option. "He's certainly got the personality for our line of work," he said. ESPN is keen to integrate Formula 1 more into its own portfolio, and an F1 personality like Ricciardo would be perfect for that.