Daniel Ricciardo F1 RETURN verdict emerges

As speculation over Daniel Ricciardo's Formula 1 future persists, the axed star has been handed a big warning from a former Red Bull star.

Ricciardo of course had the most success in his career during his Red Bull days, taking seven grands prix victories during his time with the team and proving a match for then up-and-coming star Max Verstappen.

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However, since leaving Red Bull ahead of the 2019 season, things have not panned out well for Ricciardo.

He has only racked up one further grand prix win since, and at present has no place in the sport after being fired by Visa Cash App Racing Bulls last season.

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Daniel Ricciardo warned over F1 return

With fans and experts in the sport missing Ricciardo's fun-loving personality around the paddock, it has been frequently suggested since his departure that he could be better off remaining in the limelight with a media role.

Discussing Ricciardo’s career and drawing comparisons against his own, former F1 driver David Coulthard has revealed why he felt his own F1 journey was better than Ricciardo’s in a light-hearted game on a recent episode of Driver with Lucas Stewart.

“There’s no question Daniel, what eight grand prix victories, great overtaker, but the way his career petered out is what would make me hold on to keeping my silence," Coulthard said.

“If he has still got racing on his mind, then he's got to find a race championship, I think that there's no question he would be an asset for a Formula 1 team in terms of personality.

"But this isn't a personality contest, it's a stopwatch contest, you've got to acknowledge McLaren didn't work out and then the comeback with VCARB didn't work out either."

Coulthard continued: "But he has been gifted a period of time in Formula 1 where the popularity and growth has been such that he's a celebrity beyond being a driver.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he has already worked out that working within the media space will keep that celebrity.

"What I would recommend he doesn't do is think that he can sort of take a year out and then come back and still be as interesting."

READ MORE: OFFICIAL: McLaren driver confirms team exit

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