Ferrari "in a bit of a spot", has Ricciardo dodged a bullet?

Daniel Ricciardo has declared Ferrari to be "in a bit of a spot" following the team's miserable start to the season that has arguably left the Australian breathing a huge sigh of relief.

Ricciardo was heavily linked with a move to Ferrari for next season before the driver merry-go-round resulted in Carlos Sainz switching from McLaren to the Italian manufacturer to replace Sebastian Vettel, and the Australian moving to Woking.

Asked of the Renault driver whether he felt he had "dodged a bullet" by not landing the Ferrari drive given the form of the team and the fact it is unlikely to be competitive next year, Ricciardo replied: “I didn’t really think that far ahead like, if, what, how, why it would look.

"So from that point of view I can’t really answer it but I’m sure they will learn a lot from this year and I’m sure they will pick themselves up at least a bit [to be] in a better place next year.”

Ahead of its home grand prix at Monza this weekend, on current form, Ferrari is on course for its worst performance in the constructors' championship since 1981.

Reflecting on what the Scuderia is enduring, and after its worst two-car result for a decade in Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix, Ricciardo added: “It’s tough. It’s tough to know really how long this string of results will last for the team.

"I find it hard to see it lasting too long, but for sure at the same time, I didn’t expect to see their results be...for them to struggle as much as they have, at least at Spa.

“It was talked about, that they were going to have a hard time and it proved obviously very much to be the case."

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto and drivers Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc have all expressed the belief the Italian Grand Prix will be another "difficult" weekend.

Monza's high-speed, low-downforce layout will again highlight the weaknesses of the SF1000, and conversely, the strengths of Ricciardo's Renault.

“They certainly are in a bit of a spot at the moment," concluded Ricciardo.

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