Following Helmut Marko’s suggestion that Daniel Ricciardo will be fired by Red Bull, Ricciardo stated he “hasn’t heard anything” concerning his future.
Marko hinted that the Australian’s tenure at sister team VCARB may soon come to an end in an interview with the Austrian publication Kleine Zeitung. “The shareholders have made it known that it is a junior team and we have to act accordingly,” stated the elderly gentleman.
“The intention was for [Ricciardo] to do well enough to be considered Red Bull Racing. That proposal is out of the question because Sergio Perez currently has that seat. Liam Lawson is a young driver that we need to have there shortly.”
After an outstanding five-race stint last year covering for Daniel Ricciardo while he was out injured, Lawson, who is Red Bull’s reserve driver, has patiently waited for his first full-time Formula One seat. If he doesn’t secure a 2025 spot with one of their two teams, he’s free to look elsewhere under a condition in his contract.
And Ricciardo is now squarely in the firing line. His position is the only one for the upcoming season that has not yet been confirmed, and his performance this season has not been sufficient to earn him a new contract similar to the one that teammate Yuki Tsunoda received earlier this month.
Although Ricciardo admits that he needs to do better in the upcoming weeks, he is adamant that he still has the opportunity to fight for his future. The 34-year-old stated to reporters before this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix: “I think I have a good opportunity, but you look at the first half of the season until the summer break. I don’t think that’s a deadline.”
“When I think back on Barcelona, it’s difficult to feel thrilled about finishing in fifteenth position, but I was quite pleased with my performance. Therefore, I would conclude that there have been at least two greater weekends in a row.
Having a kind of strong good results is something that I have struggled with twice this year. Of course, two is still insufficient—at least not where I want to be. I think I have a good chance of starting the summer vacation off strong.”
When questioned whether he had heard anything internally, Ricciardo replied, “I haven’t heard anything,” adding that he was unaware of Marko’s remarks regarding his future. Nothing akin to pressure or an ultimatum has been used. However, I’ve played the sport for a very long period. If I’m getting kicked in the ass every weekend, I know that eventually someone would say something like, “Hey mate, step it up, otherwise….” I haven’t had that, though.
“Everyone has been supportive, including Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, Laurent Mekies, the RB team principal, and me. They’re trying their best, but eventually, I have to take the wheel and apply a little more pressure to the throttle.”