Ricciardo not worried despite Helmut Marko’s comments
Helmut Marko, who had announced his intention of recruiting Liam Lawson alongside Tsunoda, doesn't seem to be worrying Daniel Ricciardo. Concentrating on his performances, the Australian is convinced that this will be enough to keep his place.
At the beginning of the week, Helmut Marko, a leader at Red Bull Racing, had suggested that he wanted to place the young driver Liam Lawson on the Formula 1 grid in 2025. If a contract were to be signed, the New Zealand driver would replace Daniel Ricciardo at Racing Bulls alongside Yuki Tsunoda. This news quickly spread. « We will soon have to bring in a young driver. It could be Liam Lawson » he told Kleine Zeitung about the vacant spot at Racing Bulls.
The recent remarks have not escaped the ears of the driver who is still involved. Interrogated by several media, Daniel Ricciardo doesn’t seem worried about his position. “Regarding the issues with Helmut, yes, honestly, it’s fine. It doesn’t change, let’s say, what I’m going to do,” he shared.
Ricciardo focused on his performances.
Despite the mounting pressure, the Australian driver must remain focused if he wants to keep his position. “I know that the key element in this sport is performance. That’s it. And that’s what will give me the best chance to stay here,” he explained. “I know that. It won’t be my smile or anything else. It will be the performances on the track. So, I obviously have a good opportunity.”
Confident, Ricciardo hopes to be able to show before the mid-season what he is capable of. With noticeable improvements on the car, he thinks he can achieve good results like those of his recent races.
Without other options for 2025
With only four points scored in Canada since the start of the season, Ricciardo, who seemed to be in the running for the second seat at the Red Bull main team, is finally ousted by Sergio Perez who will keep the seat for another year. The recent contract announcements signed with Alpine and Aston Martin limit the remaining options for the driver.
« Do I have other options? I would say no,” he admits himself. « I mean, I don’t know. I don’t want to be stubborn or arrogant about it, but I’m not looking elsewhere,” he says. The future remains uncertain for the Australian driver who wishes to stay at Red Bull.
Guanyu Zhou, another driver looking for a seat for next year, also spoke on this subject in Thursday’s press conference. It’s very simple: we are all waiting for Carlos’ decision in the end. But I hope he can make his decision sooner. And I think it will greatly disrupt the drivers’ market.
