Eddie Jordan suggests 34-year-old F1 driver should now take inspiration from Kimi Raikkonen

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Eddie Jordan has said that AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo should look at the success of former F1 star Kimi Raikkonen to rediscover his best form.

It may have been harsh on Nyck de Vries but it was a popular decision among many Formula 1 fans when it was announced last season that Daniel Ricciardo would be returning to AlphaTauri.

Eddie Jordan has now shared on the Formula For Success Podcast that he should take inspiration from legendary Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen when planning his return to the top of the sport.

Earning your place on the Formula 1 grid is difficult enough, but doing it twice is a feat that few drivers achieve.

Fernando Alonso left and came back and is having a fantastic time at Aston Martin.

He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and competed in IndyCar before signing for Alpine in 2021.

Kimi Raikkonen did the same, taking part in the World Rally Championship from 2009 to 2011.

Ricciardo’s absence from Formula 1 was slightly different to Raikkonen’s after he left McLaren, but Jordan has suggested he should look at the Finn’s return as inspiration for his own.

The Australian lost his seat to Oscar Piastri but didn’t have to wait long to return to the grid.

Now, he needs to kick on and see if he can secure a seat at a top team before his F1 career ends for good.

Jordan tells Ricciardo to take inspiration from Raikkonen

Speaking about The Iceman, Jordan said: “He [Kimi Raikkonen] gave up and went into rallying, it didn’t quite work and then he came back to be a big success in Formula 1.

“So, he’s one of the ones we haven’t really thought about when thinking about who could come back, we were talking about Daniel Ricciardo, can he really find a new Daniel inside his soul?

“Well, Kimi was able to do that.”

Raikkonen returned to Formula 1 with Lotus in 2012 and competed for 10 more seasons before finally retiring in 2021.

He achieved three wins in that time, with his final victory coming in 2018 for Ferrari at Austin.

As Jordan suggests, Ricciardo could learn a lot from how Raikkonen managed to refocus after racing elsewhere for a few years.

The Australian didn’t drive in another series in the interim which would have made adapting to AlphaTauri’s 2023 car relatively straightforward.

However, he had no pre-season and picked up a serious hand injury that disrupted his campaign.

It will be interesting to see how quick he is at the start of the 2024 season when he’s got a full winter to prepare for life back on the grid.