F1 legend Jensen Button says year off would mean ‘game over’ for Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo has confirmed he does not expect to race in Formula 1 next season, but former world champion Jensen Button has warned the Aussie of this move, saying it could end his career.

The Australian will leave the Woking team at the end of the season to be replaced by compatriot Oscar Piastri.

Ricciardo was under contract with McLaren until the end of the 2023 season, but after two disappointing seasons with results that fell short of expectations, the team chose to split up earlier than planned.

Former F1 champion Jenson Button (pictured) has warned Daniel Ricciardo could be ‘game over’ if he can’t get a seat in 2024 as the Australian considers becoming a reserve driver for Mercedes for the 2023 season

“I think the reality now is that I won’t be on the grid in 2023,” he said after finishing 11th in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.

“I think now it’s just trying to line up for 2024. I think there could be some better odds then, so that’s really what confirms all of this and now it’s visor.’

Recent reports suggested the Aussie was in advanced talks with Mercedes about a reserve role for the 2023 campaign.

However, former F1 champion Jenson Button believes this could be a career end for Ricciardo.

He also warned that everything is over 12 months out of the sport and it’s game over.

Button says Ricciardo (pictured) should not be out of the sport for more than 12 months or risk being ‘forgotten’

“As a third driver for someone of his caliber, it’s a very, very strange situation he’s in,” Button told Sky Sports.

“I don’t know what he would get as a third driver. He is not a young driver, so he cannot drive the car in race weekends (free practice) next year, it must be a young driver. So it wouldn’t really help him.

“I think he’ll probably think ‘well Lewis might retire and I’ll jump in his chair’ but Lewis says he’ll be there for another five years. So he would have to wait a long time.

“So it has to be the team where he thinks he can get a seat before 2024, otherwise it’s game over because after a year in F1 you forget about it,” Button said.

As speculation about his future mounted over the course of the season, the 33-year-old was linked with a move to NASCAR and even V8 Supercars.

Ricciardo (pictured at Japanese GP) says he’s just taking ‘break’ from his career

However, Ricciardo insisted he was not walking away from Formula 1 and would now focus on 2024.

“Certainly, the plan is still to be involved in Formula 1,” said Ricciardo. “It’s kind of like hitting pause, the way I see it.

“As far as my F1 career is concerned, the full intention is for 2024.”

Ricciardo came painfully close to starting Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix in the top 10, before being passed over late in qualifying.

The eight-time Grand Prix winner was eliminated in the second qualifying session after finishing eleventh, just 0.03 seconds behind Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel.