Daniel Ricciardo vowed "I won't give up on Formula 1 " and "I haven't been broken" in the wake of his brutal axing from McLaren.
The former Red Bull and Renault star was contracted to McLaren for another year. But amid his ongoing struggle to gain any momentum since joining the team 18 months ago, chief executive Zak Brown and team principal Andreas Seidl clearly decided a change was needed.
They agreed a deal to mutually terminate Ricciardo's deal at the end of this season. He will be replaced by his fellow Australian Oscar Piastri, after the Contracts Recognition Board ruled in their favour in their legal battle against Alpine for the F2 champion's signature.
As it stands, Ricciardo is currently without a seat for the 2023 season. There are still some options open to the 33-year-old, but he himself admits it is not guaranteed that he will be on the grid next year.
And if that turns out to be the case once all 20 seats are locked in, he refuses to accept that it would mean the end of his career in the sport. "I wouldn't give up on F1," he told Code Sports. "If it means I'm not on the grid next year, I will still certainly try to find a way to be on there in 2024.
"It's honestly the only racing I'm really interested in at the moment. My mindset is still 'I'm an F1 driver'. I am proud of what I've done, but I still feel there's a bit more to show or to give myself. I wouldn't race another category next year.
"It's a shame that I haven't been able to show my true self often enough in the last 18 months. But for whatever reasons, when I was able to, I think it was really there and visible and people could see the passion and the hunger I have. Also the confidence. Winning is fun. Winning makes me happy.
"That fire in my gut is still there. It hasn't gone away. I've been tested over the last couple years, for sure – but I'm proud to say, I haven't been broken. And that's why I still love it."
While being on the cusp of an F1 exit is worrying, Ricciardo can use the experience of Sergio Perez to reassure himself that a lifeline can still come along. Speaking about the day his McLaren departure was announced, he added: "I did have some private messages from some drivers. Checo was one of them.
"He knows what it's like to be kind of hanging on to F1. A couple years ago, [the question] was, 'Will he even be in F1, will he have a seat?' And then a few months later, he's winning a race with Red Bull.
"Ultimately, it comes down to me – if I really want to get back and do it, I can. It's just a bit of adversity and it does test you. We're all human. We do certainly feel it. I feel like success is always a little sweeter going through tough times."
