Daniel Ricciardo has mentioned he wanted to fall again in love with System One earlier than taking the chance to return to racing with AlphaTauri.

The eight-time grand prix winner has not pushed in anger since he was axed by McLaren on the finish of final season, however will make a shock return to the grid on the Hungarian Grand Prix subsequent week after changing Nyck De Vries at Pink Bull’s junior group AlphaTauri.

The 34-year-old Australian’s profession appeared to be all however over after he was deemed surplus to necessities by McLaren following two underwhelming seasons with the British group.

Ricciardo did return to Pink Bull as a reserve driver, however mentioned he wanted the enforced day without work to ask himself if he actually did wish to return to racing.

“Falling out of affection with it took a success on my confidence and naturally if you happen to’re competing in a sport the place you’re attempting to be the perfect at one thing, the perfect on this planet at one thing, clearly you want full confidence and perception,” Ricciardo mentioned in an interview on F1’s YouTube channel.

“When that begins to decrease a bit, your enjoyment drops a bit as effectively. There’s plenty of components. Getting again to Pink Bull, simply the reception I had strolling again into that group was in a constructive means somewhat bit overwhelming.

“Getting again on the sim, I used to be a bit uncertain the way it was going to go, if the automobile would really feel prefer it used to, if I used to be going to be like – for the shortage of higher phrases – ‘the previous me’.

“However as soon as I’d executed just a few sim periods and began feeling like myself once more it introduced me again to regular Daniel the place I used to be falling again in love and able to go once more.”

Ricciardo mentioned attending the Tremendous Bowl in Arizona in February reminded him of the thrill of a aggressive surroundings, whereas being at his residence grand prix in Melbourne after which the Monaco race helped him get the System One bug again.

“I’ve loved these six months off and it was actually good for me however the extra races I began to attend, the extra sims I’ve began to do, I used to be getting the bug again. After which leaping within the automobile just a few days in the past I believed, ‘Oh yeah’. All of it felt very regular, very acquainted…

“I didn’t really want to suppose an excessive amount of about (accepting the decision to return). I feel being again on this household, I’m type of going by all of it once more…there was no query I used to be going to say sure.”

Ricciardo mentioned becoming a member of AlphaTauri for the remainder of the season was like going “full circle” given he raced the group, then referred to as Toro Rosso, in 2012 and 2013, after beginning his F1 profession with HRT Racing in 2011.

AlphaTauri sit final within the constructor’s championship after the opening 10 races of the season and Ricciardo is below no illusions that he will probably be racing a top-end automobile any time quickly.

“I’m enthusiastic about it,” he mentioned. “It’s a problem for positive to leap in and attempt to hit the bottom working. But additionally I assume I really feel like I’ve been by rather a lot in the previous few years the place I’m probably not afraid of something that’s going to be thrown my means – so I truly actually do just like the problem.

“It is going to be a problem however I don’t know if I’d have it another means.”