When Red Bull hired Daniel Ricciardo after the McLaren ousting, many believed he would eventually replace Sergio Perez. The Mexican’s continued subpar performances and the Austrian outfit’s ruthless nature made it extremely likely.
However, after struggling for most of 2023, Perez turned his performances around and now has secured an extension till 2026. This development has effectively crushed Ricciardo’s dream of a fairytale ending at Red Bull. Although, the Australian is not concerned about his future at the moment, because he is dealing with another frustration.
Ricciardo‘s stock has fallen significantly in the past four years. Even currently, he’s a shadow of his past self and is being beaten by his teammate regularly. When asked about his future as quoted by Formule1, Ricciardo said, “To be honest, I’m not really concerned about it.” He is focused on his current level of performance at V-CARB.
He added, “It’s nice to hear [that Visa RB is happy] and it would be great if I could stay here. But I want to perform better first. I’m just dissatisfied with the differences [with Tsunoda] and that’s starting to bother me a bit.”
The Aussie’s teammate, Yuki Tsunoda has been phenomenal in 2024. This is exactly why the Honey Badger aims to overpower his teammate on the track. So, the current focus for Ricciardo is to start performing regularly and on the level, he is expected to and believes he can. He isn’t particularly worried about his future thanks to the team boss Laurent Mekies’ statement.
Laurent Mekies reveals the team is satisfied with the current combination of Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda
Liam Lawson received a rare lease of life in F1 and he jumped on the opportunity. The young New Zealander proved his racing mettle, especially with the points-scoring finish at the Singapore GP.
His presence in the team as the reserve driver puts the Australian under constant pressure. However, the V-CARB team principal put at least Ricciardo’s mind at ease with his statement about the future.
Mekies revealed the Faenza outfit has no desire for change and participating in the 2025 silly season. As quoted by Planet F1, he said,“I think we’re very happy with both of our drivers. Honestly, we’re not wasting time with discussing ‘ifs’ and ‘whens.’ We have a very strong lineup.”
He also specifically pointed out Ricciardo’s contribution to the team. The 34-year-old is a vital part of the project especially when it comes to identifying problems. The eight-time race winner’s years of race-winning experience is what makes him a valued team member. Only time will tell whether that is enough to secure his long-term future on the team.
