Daniel Ricciardo is staying defiant despite the reports swirling that he’ll lose his RB seat to Liam Lawson after this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.
If not after this weekend, Lawson is expected to replace Ricciardo by 2025 at the latest, with the Kiwi’s contract requiring Red Bull to offer him a seat for next year or make him a free agent.
Ricciardo is no stranger to speculation around his future, having gone through it with previous teams he’s been on, so the Aussie is well-equipped to drown out the noise.
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Dan makes promising start in Singapore | 01:01
If Friday’s practice is anything to go by, Ricciardo has done a great job of that, recording the sixth quickest time of the session.
A decision about his future at RB will be made next week, but Riccardo isn’t going down without a fight.
“I heard I wouldn’t be in the car for this race as well but that was after Japan GP or something earlier in the year,” he told Sky Sports.
“I know how it is and how it works and I knew there was always going to be some dates and deadlines this year. Whether it was summer break or now post-Singapore which is the next one.
“Let’s see how the weekend goes. I’ll give it all I can as I have and there’s always something to fight for.
“We’ll see what happens but I’ll try and get this thing on the podium. That’s the plan.
“I’ve been here before in terms of speculation the last few years… I guess you build a little bit of a tolerance to it and a thick skin, but obviously I’m not the only one. One week it’s me, next week it’s another driver who is fighting for his career.
“It’s how it goes. It’s the merry-go-round of the sport but that’s it. That’s what I signed up for.”
There’s plenty of water to go under the bridge, but if Riccardo loses his RB seat for 2025, it’s unlikely he’ll have a spot on the grid.
There’s still the question of whether Red Bull are fully committed to second string driver Sergio Perez after an ordinary season.
However, with Ricciardo seemingly on the outer, it’s hard to see him in a Red Bull car in 2025.
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Whatever the future holds, Ricciardo has the support of premiership-leader Max Verstappen, who believes the Aussie should feel a great sense of accomplishment for the career he’s had.
“Daniel is a great guy. I think he has proven himself as a great Formula 1 driver and he’s a friend of mine,” Verstappen said.
“And I think, in general, always being in this kind of position is never nice. But at the other end also, I don’t think he has to feel sorry for himself.
“Sometimes things maybe don’t work out the way you want them in certain stages of your career, but you still have achieved a lot more than anyone could ever dream of in their lives.
“So even if this is, let’s say, the last race or whatever, you can still look back at something amazing that not many people can achieve and do something else maybe in life also. I mean, why not?
“Maybe just chill back at the farm. Have a lot of fun. I mean, he’s a great guy.”
Sky Sports Formula 1 pundit David Croft admits it will be sad if Ricciardo’s Grand Prix career is drawing to a close.
“I think he does (know it’s coming). I think conversations have been had behind closed doors and we’ll know more sometime by the middle of next week,” Croft said.
“I think it’s a shame if it’s his last race this week and it’ll be a shame that he won’t be able to go out on a high.
“He’s given us magic moments and he’s a fine driver but ultimately I don’t think he should’ve ever left Red Bull.”
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