Daniel Ricciardo holds the cards; Rosberg responds to Hamilton slap

DANIEL Ricciardo “holds a few cards” as Red Bull rushes to secure his signature — but it’s not just money the Aussie wants.

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO — OCTOBER 29: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Red Bull Racing on the drivers parade before the Formula One Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 29, 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

DANIEL Ricciardo’s tug of war with Red Bull has taken another turn as the 2017 season enters its final two races.

The Aussie F1 gun rocketed into freakish form late in the season with nine podiums from 18 races. But it hasn’t all been flowers and sunshine for the 28-year-old.

Mechanical failures on Red Bull’s end have been Ricciardo’s bane with the Aussie racking up five DNF’s for the season.

Red Bull sealed young gun Max Verstappen’s signature until 2020 and have made it crystal clear they want to tie down his teammate for as long as possible. But Ricciardo finds himself in the power position as the Austrian-owned F1 giant scrambles for an extension he enters the final year on his contract.

“I won’t change my (management) structure,” Ricciardo said per Motorsport.com. “I’ve never had a big team around me. I’ve got my lawyer who helps me out with these things.

“Because I am out of contract next year and I do hold a few cards at least, I don’t think I need to rush it but if Christian (Horner) and Helmut (Marko) express interest in wanting to keep me then that’s nice to hear.

“It’s better than them saying ‘we can’t wait for Ricciardo to leave’.”

Everything’s coming up Milhouse.

Over the weekend, Red Bull declared they had a “safety net” in place for a surprise Ricciardo exit

“That’s why we kept Carlos Sainz on loan, that’s why we have options around us. We have a safety net but our number one objective is to retain the pairing that we have,” Horner said.

Ricciardo was adamant he wouldn’t be keeping any secrets from his bosses as contract talks heat up. But his eyes are firmly placed on a single outcome: a better car.

“It’s the first time we’ve been in this position so I want to make the most of it. I still want to do it respectfully. I’ll be open in discussions with them and won’t keep any secrets,” he said.

“Obviously I have got power to negotiate financial things as well but the first box I want to tick is performance.

“I’m still definitely competitive enough to chase the faster car and not the bigger bucks, I’m not at that end of my career.”

ROSBERG RESPONDS TO HAMILTON JAB

2016 summed up.

It’s been almost a year since Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg parted ways, but their famous feud at Mercedes continues to be a hot point of conversation among F1 fans.

Rosberg, who claimed the 2016 championship after a bitter three-year battle with Hamilton, was yin to his teammate’s yang as the pair shot barb after barb in an awkward period for the Silver Arrows.

Hamilton, who sealed the 2017 championship last week in Mexico, said Rosberg’s F1 retirement “helped the harmony of the team”.

When asked about Hamilton’s comments regarding Mercedes’ 2016 storm, Rosberg said he took it as a “compliment”.

“I won, so I can imagine maybe that wasn’t so positive (for him) — I would be saying the same if I lost last year, that it wasn’t too positive for me,” Rosberg said, per Motorsport.com.

“I found it very positive. We were probably the most successful teammate pairing in the history of Formula 1 on the track.

“We were pushing each other to the ultimate high level. Of course, it’s not easy, but that’s what in my eyes keeps the drive going and the motivation high. For me, that was largely positive.”