Daniel Ricciardo ‘not being diplomatic’ as Red Bull decision leaves Aussie sweating
Daniel Ricciardo is fighting to save his F1 career heading into the final 10 races of the season.
Daniel Ricciardo is under pressure heading into the final 10 races (Image: Getty)
Daniel Ricciardo has admitted that he would love the chance to race against Max Verstappen at Red Bull again as he continues to target Sergio Perez’s seat for the 2025 campaign.
The experienced Aussie received an F1 lifeline when he was called in to replace Nyck de Vries at VCARB last season, and the expectation was that in 2024 he would kick on and put together a compelling case to replace Perez alongside Verstappen.
This, however, has not materialised. Perez failed to score a top-six finish in eight races prior to the summer shutdown, and Red Bull came close to pulling the trigger. But with just 12 points to his name after 14 Grands Prix, Ricciardo didn’t mark himself out as a clear upgrade on the incumbent second driver.
Despite that setback, Ricciardo isn’t giving up. The 35-year-old still has 10 races left to save his F1 career. “Yeah. I’m not going to give a diplomatic answer,” he told RacingNews365 when asked if he wants the chance to partner Verstappen one last time.
“Of course, I would. I know I need to earn it. It’s not just going to be handed to me but if I earned it and the chance was there, of course, I’d love to do it. So we’ll see.”
While Ricciardo’s start to the 2024 campaign has been lacklustre, the eight-time Grand Prix winner is still putting in the effort and still believes that he has a chance to make the step up. The pressure is certainly on for the Australian, with Liam Lawson in line to replace him at VCARB at the en
d of the season.