Daniel Ricciardo: I'm even glad that I was fired.

      In the Ford podcast, Daniel Ricciardo talked about how difficult it was for him in the last years of his Formula 1 career and the circumstances that led to his departure...

      Daniel Ricciardo: "In the end, I was fired. By that point, I had already been let go twice in the last two years, and it took a toll on me. I was very exhausted.

      Looking back, I am even grateful to them for making the decision for me. It would have been hard for me to decide to end my career, to say, 'I've had enough.'

      I understood that I had had enough because I knew it was becoming increasingly difficult to perform at the level everyone expected. For some reason, I lost part of my abilities, and acknowledging that is perfectly normal.

      There are people who love you and will tell you that you are wonderful, that you will succeed, but no matter how much you love them, you just need to close that door, make the decision for yourself, and be completely honest with yourself.

      If I had been racing last year, I think I would still have had many similar thoughts; I would have been having an internal dialogue, realizing that it was becoming harder for me, that I had to put in tremendous effort to achieve results that I could be proud of.

      But those who care about you do not know what it is like to be you and to be in your situation. Last year, being out of racing, I gave myself time to think everything over, to reflect on my career, and to find peace of mind."