Ricciardo does not want to address his uncertain future in F1
Daniel Ricciardo states that his goal is to improve his current performances in Formula 1 "week after week", rather than securing a contract extension with Red Bull Racing.
The Australian had a difficult start to the 2024 season, where his only points were obtained thanks to a fourth place in the Miami Grand Prix sprint. This leaves him 14 points behind his Racing Bulls teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who has impressed so far in his fourth season with the team, leading to suggestions that Ricciardo could be in danger of losing his seat to reserve driver Liam Lawson.
The CEO of Racing Bulls, Peter Bayer, expressed his support for the Perth-born driver before the Monaco Grand Prix, stating that he was satisfied with his drivers, but Ricciardo refuted suggestions that he was seeking assurances about his future. “I’m going to be honest, I haven’t really thought too much about [contract discussions],” said Ricciardo.
« It’s great to hear [that from Bayer] and yes, it would be awesome, but I want to do better consistently. The gap [with Tsunoda], maybe we’ll find something that [explains] why I lost a bit here or there. There will probably always be something. This is F1 and it’s never perfect. I’m not happy with these gaps. I think that’s what frustrates me a bit. Obviously, the team has been great, and they have been really supportive, and obviously they know I can do it.
Ricciardo finished 12th in Monaco to confirm his qualifying result, although he lost places to the two Aston Martins at both standing starts. He admitted that his difficulties in consistently matching Tsunoda in Q3 were frustrating him, and he hoped to find more performance in the VCARB 01 chassis to improve his Saturday qualifying performances.
« I felt really good when I entered the [Monaco qualifying session]. Obviously, two years ago here, I struggled with McLaren. I felt a lot better, let’s say, this time, but the reality is that the result is not really much better.
« I want to try to take stock and see what I’m missing, then we’ll see what the car can give me to help me. I think what’s frustrating is that I can do it but obviously it doesn’t happen often enough, and that’s where I get frustrated trying to understand why I’m not regularly a candidate for Q3 week after week.
