During the RB19 July drive, Daniel Ricciardo aims to remind Red Bull that "I can still do it"

Posted : 11 May 2023

When he drives the RB19 in July, Daniel Ricciardo hopes to show Red Bull that he still has "unfinished business" in Formula 1.

After having his contract with McLaren cancelled a year early following two challenging seasons with the Woking-based team, the Australian returned to Red Bull over the winter as the third driver.

During his first stint with Red Bull from 2014 to 2018, Ricciardo won seven of his eight grand prix races.

After the British GP in July, the 33-year-old will pilot this year's Red Bull for the first time in a Pirelli tyre test. As he plans to make a full-time comeback to the grid in 2024, he wants to offer the team something to consider.

"I'm really enjoying this year and I think I'll continue to enjoy it, but by next year I think I'll certainly be eager to get back on the grid and compete," Ricciardo told Sky Sports News' Craig Slater at the Miami GP.

"I feel like there is still some unfinished business.

"I'm continuing to do simulator. I'm going to jump in the car in July to get back behind the wheel.

"I'm sure that will really stimulate me and give me all those feels back.

"Naturally I'm going to put a bit of pressure on myself for that and try to remind the team that I can still do it. We'll see where it goes."

Whether Red Bull will reserve an opening for Ricciardo in 2024 poses a different case.

Title: Lawrence Okolie warns: I know Chris Billam-Smith and Shane McGuigan too, and I'm going to break him!
Subtitle: Lawrence Okolie and Chris Billam-Smith used to be training and sparring partners at Shane McGuigan's gym; but now they are opponents and will fight for Okolie's WBO world cruiserweight title at the Vitality Stadium in Billam-Smith's hometown of Bournemouth on May 27
Lawrence Okolie has a warning for sparring-partner-turned-opponent Chris Billam-Smith. Familiarity goes both ways.

Billam-Smith used to be one of Okolie's key sparring partners when they trained together at Shane McGuigan's gym.

But Okolie left McGuigan to join new coach SugarHill Steward and will now fight Billam-Smith as he defends his WBO cruiserweight title on May 27 at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth.

Due to the many rounds of sparring they have shared, and with McGuigan in his corner for the fight, Billam-Smith is convinced he has all the experience and information he needs to beat Okolie.

"I know that they're going to come. Their whole game plan is going to be around getting on my chest and screaming for points, all this stuff," Okolie said.

"So I'm very much aware of the psyche that they're into, which is: 'We can't beat Lawrence in a fight. We can't. We can try and get a lucky punch but maybe we can make it a maul and get the crowd behind and throw him off'.

But Okolie points out he knows them both just as well too.

During the RB19 July drive, Daniel Ricciardo aims to remind Red Bull that "I can still do it"

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