Forse Daniel Ricciardo non è più abbastanza motivato.

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Is the Formula 1 career of Daniel Ricciardo slowly coming to an end? Although rumors that the Australian could lose his seat in Miami were recently denied by Red Bull, Ricciardo is currently experiencing a difficult phase.

In the internal qualifying duel against his Racing Bulls teammate Yuki Tsunoda, he is currently trailing 0-3 after the first three races of the season, and he is still without any points in the World Championship, while Tsunoda recently scored a strong seventh place in Melbourne, earning six important points.

Even Damon Hill, 1996 world champion, said in the F1 Nation podcast that Ricciardo had once again had a “tough weekend” at his home race in Melbourne. And he also offered a speculation as to what might be the reason for this.

“When I was approaching the end of my career, it definitely became harder for me to motivate myself because […] you know that there is life after that,” recalls Hill, who retired from Formula 1 at the end of 1999 – having already passed his peak.

While he became world champion in 1996, in his farewell season three years later, he only scored seven World Championship points, while his former Jordan teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen collected a whopping 54 points, won two races, and finished third in the championship.

Is Ricciardo lacking the necessary determination? Hill even considered hanging up his helmet during the season back then, but ultimately decided to finish the season – clearly in the shadow of the German who was even temporarily fighting for the World Championship.

Frentzen was seven years younger than Hill at the time, and Ricciardo is currently facing a teammate in Tsunoda who is eleven years younger. Hill explains in this context: “When you are younger, all you see in the future is Formula 1.”

Ricciardo, on the other hand, has already had a solid career, reminds Hill. The Australian, who will celebrate his 35th birthday in July, has already won eight races in Formula 1, while Tsunoda is “fighting for his survival” in the premier class, according to Hill.

Does Ricciardo lack this determination at his age? “It’s difficult to motivate yourself when you see all the other things out there [outside of Formula 1],” explains Hill, who suspects some “distractions” for Ricciardo.

The Australian had already left the top tier after the 2022 season when his contract with McLaren was terminated. He returned to the cockpit of the then AlphaTauri team in mid-2023 after keeping fit as a Red Bull test driver.

Another departure from Formula 1 could be final next time.