Amid a terrible start to life with Visa Cash App RB (V-CARB), a promising future for Daniel Ricciardo has seemingly gone down the drain. Failing to score any points thus far, Ricciardo is currently fighting for survival at V-CARB rather than auditioning for Red Bull. However, V-CARB CEO Peter Bayer still believes his team can work with the Aussie to put him back in contention for a Red Bull seat.
Speaking to SpeedCafe, Bayer explained how the team is working towards being more than just a breeding ground for potential Red Bull drivers. However, given the teams’ affiliation, part of V-CARB’s duties remain to develop drivers for its sister team. While the focus is largely on the younger drivers, Bayer is hopeful of developing Ricciardo back to his old self and making him a contender for the vacant Red Bull seat in 2025.
“So if we were to develop Daniel back into the old Daniel as he is now, and give him the opportunity to show to the world what he’s capable of, and then next year for example makes a move to Red Bull, I think we could tick a box and say we’ve done the job.”, Bayer said.
Ever since he left Red Bull in 2018, Ricciardo has had a hard time finding sustained form. Once he got the callback to (formerly) AlphaTauri, the Aussie driver had just one goal – to finish his career with Red Bull. The eight-time Grand Prix winner wants to return to winning ways before calling time on his career.
However, the glorious return was always subject to Ricciardo proving his prowess with the Faenza-based team, which is something he hasn’t been able to do. Nonetheless, the 34-year-old remains committed to improving as long as he stays in F1.
Daniel Ricciardo has his say on his F1 future
Despite underwhelming performances at the start of 2024, Ricciardo remains as optimistic as ever. The Honey Badger insists he is enjoying life as things are and would be more than happy to continue being a V-CARB driver. However, it doesn’t mean Ricciardo wants to continue just being a driver with the outfit.
He wants to help the team improve by securing good results. The same will also allow him to once again vie for a seat in the team higher up in the pecking order, which remains his ultimate goal.
Despite not being able to match Yuki Tsunoda thus far, Ricciardo still has complete faith in himself. Per the Australian, he still has what it takes to stand on the podium again. Underscoring immense faith in himself, Ricciardo even claimed he “can win races again.”
Not wanting to be remembered for a few bad races, Ricciardo wants to prove his skill before he steps away from F1. He wants to make people proud of him, and more importantly, he wants to be proud of himself. Hence, the Australian wants to add a few more podiums to his CV before retirement comes calling.
