Guenther Steiner gave a firm response to speculation his Haas team might be considering Daniel Ricciardo for a 2024 race seat.
The Aussie is absent from the grid this year, having had his McLaren contract cut short. He was due to be racing for the team again this season but, amid his struggles to get to grips with his car, it was decided that the best thing for all parties was to move on.
So Ricciardo is now back at Red Bull, though only as a reserve driver. His first appearance in that role came at the Australian Grand Prix, while he plans to be in the paddock several more times this season as he considers what the future might hold for him.
Despite his declaration that he is only interested in a competitive seat, they may be thin on the ground. The top teams are unlikely to have any driver vacancies for 2024, meaning Ricciardo's options will be limited to, at best, the midfield teams.
One of them which could be on the hunt for a new driver next year is Haas. Nico Hulkenberg has a two-year deal but Kevin Magnussen is not currently tied down beyond the end of this season and so Steiner may need to bring in a fresh face for 2024.
Not that Ricciardo is currently being considered for such a role. Asked that question on Sky Sports News, Steiner was quick to shut down the suggestion that he has held any concrete talks with the Aussie racer.
He said: "No, not at the moment. I think Dan is with Red Bull – I don't know for how long. I actually was with Daniel on the plane to Australia, so we had a little bit of a chat, but not about the contract, just about general life and what is going on.
"But we didn’t even go there, to be honest. So, I don't know. Daniel wanted to take a year out and then see what he wants to do next, and I think when he is ready, he will phone people up and say, 'I'm ready again'."
Ricciardo recently said of his mindset: "I still am at a point where it's not at any cost, it's not just to be back on the grid. A lot of the reason for taking this year off was that I didn't want to just jump back into a car, any car just to be one of the F1 drivers. I want to be back with a top team and obviously a team where I have my confidence back and my mojo."
