A year ago Ricciardo ha༒d been axed from Formula 1 by McLaren after two substa⛄ndard seasons.

Even a return to Red Bull as a third drive🌃r caused Christian Horner to comment on “bad habits” that Ric🌟ciardo had picked up.

But he will head into 2024 as a full-time F1 driver again with AlphaTauri, with seven rounds of🧜 this s𓃲eason under his belt after a mid-season comeback.

“I hope to be a better racing driver,” he ✱told the podcast. “That's what I'm working on. 

“Do I still want to be world champion? Yes. Haꦑs it been a dream🧸 of mine since I was a kid? Yes. 

“But maybe it's just because I've seen Max, or whoev🃏er else, and they're still waking up🔥 the same person.

“I think you just take a little bit of pressu♏re off 🥀it. 

“It's not🍃 going to change me as a human. Theꦉrefore, it's not going to change my life moving forward. 

“Yes, it will present some other opportunities if you are to achieve such a feat, but I know my mum and ✃dad are going to look at me the same way, whether I'm a world champion or whether I'm not. 

“It's probably a bit of perspective. I still want it and I 🌼still deep down believe I can🔯 do it, but it's really not going to change the course of my life.”

When Ricciardo lost his McLaren seat, he signalled an i🌃ntention to step away from the sport and focus o🐼n other passions.

He was initially non-committal about a return.

A꧒fter stepping back initially as Red Bull’s third driver and now f🔯ull-time with sister team AlphaTauri, Ricciardo has detailed his new mind-set.

“I'm treating it like a second chance to go all in for this last part of my career,” h♒e said.

🥃“There are things that I'm going to do differently to make sure that all my ener𝓀gy is focused on going all in. 

“But then there's also definitely an element of making sure that you're okay after ra🌟cing, after your careeꦇr. 

“Especially in sport, you do it from such a young age, you’re not a businessman from five years old. Sport is a 💃very rare career where you can start pursuing it so young that it's been your only purpose in life and i🎃t's consumed you and your family as well.

“When it's gone, I know that's where a lot of athletes can struggle with their identity, I guess. Where are they going to get that adrenaline from? Where are they going to get✤꧃ that drive? 

“I'm aware that it's not easy for everyone also to transition to life after sport. I 🐽was also curious to know how my life could look andꦓ how I would be. 

“I am obviously a positive person and normally just very easy-going. It's not something that I was necessarily concerned about, b🧸ut you want that comfort of knowing that I'm going to be fine an🌱d I can enjoy other things in life.

“Racing is my passion, but it's not everything and it's not the⛄ be all and end all.

“I think I got ꧙tha☂t answer, which was really good. I think it allows me to come back for this second phase with, in a way, less pressure. 

“Deep down I'm going all in and I want to put 🌼everything I can into it, but there is part of me which is also a little bit light🌊er.”

2023 was a remarkable turnaround for Ricciardo.

A hugely impressive test in a Red Bull convinced them to get rid of Nyck de Vries from ♔AlphaTauri and replace him with Ric𒐪ciardo.

And despite an inj꧅ury setback, Ricciardo offered glimpses of his undoubted talent in the second half of the year.

He stands a realistic chance of earning the second Red Bul💝l seat, alongside Verstappen again, in 2025.