Daniel Ricciardo has stated that he wants to return to Formula 1 next season after what he described as a "difficult" couple of years.
The Australian found himself without a seat on the grid for the 2023 world championship as he landed as the team's third driver.
Questions emerged over whether or not the much-loved Honey Badger would return to the sport, but Ricciardo himself has now confirmed that he is planning a comeback in the very near future.
"I want to keep learning with the team and see what else I can absorb over the next few races," he told Total-Motorsport.com. "I do want to get back next year.
"I do want to compete. I feel more refreshed, and obviously, I've flushed out a difficult two years. So I'm in a good place."
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It comes as Nyck De Vries is under further pressure from Helmut Marko as speculation continues over the strength of his position at AlphaTauri.
It has been suggested that Ricciardo could remain in the Red Bull family by sliding over to AlphaTauri from his spot as a Red Bull reserve driver.
De Vries has had a difficult start to his first F1 season, so far failing to score points.
Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Marko doubled down on his view that De Vries is on thin ice.
He told Racing365: "To date, (De Vries) has not lived up to the expectations placed in him.
"Of course, we talked about it openly with him and now there are routes that he knows.
"So let's see how he develops and then we will discuss further and possibly decide."
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