Admitting that his F1 career is over, Daniel Ricciardo reveals that since leaving the sport he's discovering his true self.

Dropped by McLaren at the end of 2022, the popular Australian returned mid-way through the following season with AlphaTauri replacing Nyck de Vies. However, a crash during FP2 at Zandvoort ruled him out for the next four races, returning in time for the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.

Though linked with a return to the 'big team' to replace the under-performing Sergio Perez, Ricciardo remained with the newly renamed Faenza outfit for 2024 alongside Yuki Tsunoda.

It was a difficult season for the Australian, who was constantly out-performed by his teammate and heading into the summer break there was already speculation that he would be dropped in favour of fellow Antipodean Liam Lawson. Sure enough, following a nightmare weekend in Singapore he was dropped.

Though one of several drivers linked with Cadillac, team boss Graeme Lowdon revealed that Ricciardo wasn't interested.

"I think he's publicly said that he's not interested in Formula 1," Lowdon told the High Performance podcast. "If I need to convince someone, then it's the wrong person.

"You never need to convince a Formula 1 driver to jump in the car," he added. "I've got no problem, everyone can make their own mind up."

Indeed, speaking at Ray White's Connect conference on the Gold Coast, Ricciardo shed light on his attitude towards the sport.

"The reason I got into racing was because no one was really doing it," he admitted. "It was my chance to do something a little bit cooler than everyone else. I was just showing off, but showing off has got me to a really good place in life.

"Sometimes I think about things like winning Monaco and think, 'did that actually happen?'" he added.

"I always loved racing, but I never thought I'd have the career I had and make it to F1.

"You just have to take everything one step at a time. If you look too far ahead, everything looks a bit daunting."

Asked what he's been doing since leaving the sport, he said: "I've had a lot of time. I've done some hiking. I was in Alaska a few weeks ago and didn't get mauled by a grizzly, which was a bonus.

"I've been trying to figure out who I am other than this race car driver," he admitted. "I've come to appreciate the little things more and the meaning of the importance of family and friends. I've always been driven and that sometimes leads you to being selfish, so I'm trying to learn to be a bit more selfless and become a better listener."

Asked where he will now get the adrenalin fix that the sport gave him, he replied: "I'll try and find that another way I guess.

"It took me a long time to actually realise I was doing it," he said of having lived out the F1 dream. "Because yeh, it is a dream and you think about it as a kid, and then when you're there and you make it, you're like, 'Oh wow!'

"It happens very quick, but, obviously, I'm very appreciative for the career I had and very grateful to do it that long."

Of course, some will argue that Ricciardo got distracted by various outside (business) ventures, not forgetting the decision to quit Red Bull for the big bucks (francs?) offered by Renault. Then there was the fact that he lacked the killer instinct of former teammate Max Verstappen and McLaren successor Oscar Piastri.