Red Bull bosses coy on Daniel Ricciardo’s future, signal imminent team change

Red Bull have kept their cards close to their chest when quizzed about Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 future as pressure mounts on the Aussie.

Red Bull bosses have refused to guarantee Daniel Ricciardo will see out the season as scrutiny on his future in Formula One intensifies.

Team motorsport advisor Helmut Marko recently made headlines by declaring Ricciardo would soon be replaced by 22-year-old Kiwi Liam Lawson at VISA Cash App RB.

“The shareholders have made it clear that it is a junior team and we have to act accordingly,” he said.

“The goal was that [Ricciardo] would be considered for Red Bull Racing with exceptional performances. That seat now belongs to Sergio Perez, so that plan is no longer valid.

“We will have to put a young driver in there soon. That would be Liam Lawson.”

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There are four races to go before the mid-season summer break and Ricciardo’s future is a hot topic of discussion at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.

The 34-year-old Aussie brushed aside concerns about his spot on the grid and said he had learned from his final days at McLaren in 2022 to take it one race at a time.

“I don’t feel one way or another about it. I still know the overriding thing in this sport is performance,” he said.

Christian Horner and Daniel Ricciardo.

“That’s what will give me my best chance of staying here. I know that. It’s not going to be my smile or anything else. It’s the on-track stuff.”

“There hasn’t been any pressure, any ultimatum — nothing like that,” said Ricciardo.

“But also I’ve been in the sport a long time. I know that, if I’m getting my ass kicked every weekend, at some point someone will be like ‘hey mate, step it up, otherwise …’ but I haven’t had that.”

Speaking at a pre-race press conference in Austria, Horner poured cold water on Marko’s comments but stopped short of guaranteeing Ricciardo’s future.

“I think anything regarding drivers are going to be dealt with in-house before we talk to the media about it,” Horner said.

“They’re all Red Bull Racing drivers and every Red Bull driver knows that there’s always a pressure, that there’s always a scrutiny but Daniel is in the seat and it’s down to him to make the most of that and then it’s always, as we see in Formula 1, things are always fluid.”

“He knew this was a lifeline,” Horner said of Ricciardo’s return to the Red Bull stable.

“I’m sure, by his own admission, the first part of the season didn’t go to plan, but he’s started to show signs of the old Daniel.

“We saw it in Miami, certainly the first part of the weekend there. We saw it in Montreal.

“But Formula 1, there’s always pressure. He knows that better than anyone, and particularly in Red Bull.

“Daniel is more than aware of that.”

Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson is waiting in the wings. Photo: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images/AFP.

Red Bull team CEO Peter Bayer praised Ricciardo’s contribution to the team but said a decision on his future would be made in due course.

“Well, he certainly has helped us tremendously,” he said.

“Looking back last year when he joined the team, he brought a whole new energy and spirit into the team and he has been extremely helpful in supporting Yuki (Tsunoda).

“Yuki has just stated that very recently, actually, that he still keeps learning from Daniel and it’s part of our job as a mission from the shareholders to develop drivers.

“That’s what we currently do. Certainly, this is about performance. We do, luckily, have a couple of options with the junior program, but we’re also not in a hurry to take a decision for next year’s line-up.”

Christian Horner and Peter Bayer kept their cards close. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

All signs are pointing to Lawson replacing Ricciardo, and Bayer said the team would sit down to make a decision over the mid-season break in August.

“Liam is part of the team. He is our test driver,” Bayer said.

“We do our job to develop young drivers, but the decision on the second seat will be taken quietly, and we’re not in a hurry.”

“As Christian said, this is about performance,” he added.

“We do, luckily, have a couple of options with the junior program, but we’re also not in a hurry to take a decision for next year’s line-up.

“We’ve confirmed Yuki (Tsunoda), which was very important for us.”

Max Verstappen qualified fastest for the Sprint Race in Austria, which will be held on Saturday night Australian time along with race qualifying.

The Austrian Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday at 11pm AEST.

Originally published as Red Bull bosses coy on Daniel Ricciardo’s future, signal imminent team change