This is certainly not how Daniel Ricciardo imagined his return to the Red Bull family. Sergio Perez is extending his contract and closing the door to the top team. At the Racing Bulls, Yuki Tsunoda will regularly outshine him in 2024. The motto is: stay instead of promotion. Racing Bulls instead of Red Bull. And even that is not certain.
“Personally, I had a fantastic result in Miami, but the rest of my season wasn’t really what I expected from myself,” says Ricciardo. In the USA, he achieved his best result of the season so far, coming fourth in the sprint. Overall, however, the Australian is well behind his teammate in the race, in qualifying and in the World Championship table. Brief glimmers of hope were brief rather than particularly bright.
“I want my season to go better than that,” emphasises the RB driver. “Even though we might take a step forward every weekend, I still want things to go even faster. I believe that we will continue to develop.”
But it will be difficult to remain in the Formula 1 enough? “Let’s see if I’m still here next year,” added Ricciardo. “That’s clearly the goal at the moment. Miami was good, but not enough. I haven’t been able to convince enough yet.”
Special clause in Liam Lawson’s contract
It is of course no secret who is pushing for his seat at the Racing Bulls. Reserve and simulator driver Liam Lawson would be willing to take over the cockpit. The young New Zealander was able to prove this last season when he ably replaced the injured Ricciardo for a few races.
“Lawson is at every race and we are in close contact,” said Red Bull’s motorsport boss Dr. Helmut Marko to the Kleine Zeitung before the Canadian GP. “There is a clause with Lawson. If we do not offer him an active seat, he is free for other teams.”
But Ricciardo is not yet thinking about quitting F1. “I know I’m still fast,” said the 34-year-old. “Maybe I just have to work a little too hard at the moment to achieve consistency. I don’t think I need to turn the whole thing upside down. It’s enough to make a few changes here and there and then keep the momentum going.”
Ricciardo looks for problems and solutions within himself. “I should always be able to deliver. Not just when I feel good or when the conditions are right,” says the Australian. “I believe that I can be more consistent in the future because I have done it before. I have to make sure that when I get in the car there are no questions, doubts or concerns, just spectacular action.”
Daniel Ricciardo has not given up on his Red Bull dream
Although Perez has extended his contract with Red Bull for two years and the future at Racing Bulls is still up in the air, Ricciardo is not ready to put the chapter of the top team behind him just yet. “I don’t think that Perez’s extension means that there is no chance anymore,” says the Australian.
“I don’t think it will ever happen,” he adds. “Red Bull is still a place where I would like to end my career, but of course that won’t happen in the short term. I’m realistic about that. But it’s still kind of an end goal. Now, though, I need to do well and score a few more points. And I’m happy to do that with the Racing Bulls. It’s all up to me.”
The Canadian Grand Prix is coming up. Read here who or what can influence the battle for the top spot in Montreal: