Daniel Ricciardo admits there is a real chance he will not drive in Formula 1 again, but is more "at peace" with a potential exit than he was two years ago.
Reports leading into the Singapore Grand Prix suggested the Australian's position at RB was in the balance depending on his performance at the Marina Bay Circuit, with reserve driver Liam Lawson waiting in the wings.
A disappointing display after a failed gamble to start on the soft tyre left Ricciardo to finish 18th, lamenting that "the fairytale ending didn't happen", although his fastest lap sparked controversy after it took a point away from race winner Lando Norris in the McLaren driver's title fight with Max Verstappen.
An emotional Ricciardo insisted after the race that he departs Singapore feeling better than he did following his exit from McLaren at the end of the 2022 season, when he lost his seat to rookie compatriot Oscar Piastri.
Ricciardo was left without a drive until his return with RB during its previous guise as AlphaTauri to replace the struggling Nyck de Vries for the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, ostensibly to gauge his viability for a return to Red Bull alongside Verstappen.
"I tried to obviously enjoy it [the Singapore Grand Prix weekend], a little bit like the end of '22 with McLaren," reflected Ricciardo.
"Obviously I was aware maybe that was my last race, so I tried to enjoy that.
"I think I'm in a much happier place now in the sport than I was then. So if this is it, let's say I have a little bit more peace and I'm proud of the career."
These remarks followed Ricciardo's admission that "there is a realistic chance that it's not going to happen" when asked if he would be at the United States Grand Prix next time out.
Ricciardo said he was "prepared for it" to be the end of his F1 career, which began with the now-defunct HRT team in 2011.
The eight-time grands prix winner became the 10th most experienced driver in F1 history in Singapore, his 257th start surpassing the tally of Riccardo Patrese.
"It's been a very race-by-race situation with Red Bull I think for all of us in a way, obviously Checo [Sergio Perez] as well," reflected Ricciardo. "And at times it feels like it's going one way, then it goes the other.
"Obviously there was a lot of emphasis on this weekend, and I would have loved a better weekend - who knows if that would have changed anything, or if the decision's been made already, even prior to the weekend.
"I'm obviously prepared for it and that's why I think over the weekend just tried to acknowledge a few things as well with myself. And I think acknowledged also why I came back into the sport.
"Sometimes you've got to see a big picture and I always said, 'I don't just want to be a guy that's here on the grid and fighting for a point every now and then', which has kind of been how this year's gone."
