Daniel Ricciardo F1 News: RB star brutally honest on F1 future as 2025 questions remain

Daniel Ricciardo, VCARB, Visa, RB, Barcelona, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Ricciardo BRUTALLY honest on F1 future as 2025 questions remain

The Aussie superstar is out of contract at the end of 2024

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 22 June 2024 21:57

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Visa Cash App RB star Daniel Ricciardo has opened up on his future within the team offering a brutally honest assessment of how things stand currently.

Since returning to F1 midway through the 2023 season, the Australian has struggled to pull together consistent performances for the team, just as he had previously at McLaren.

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Ricciardo has been largely out-performed by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda so far this season, with the Japanese driver having shown a big improvement in 2024.

In addition, the Australian has been blasted by 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, questioning why he remains in F1 whilst also diminishing his early career successes.

Daniel Ricciardo has struggled to match his team-mates in the later years of his F1 career

Jacques Villeneuve insisted Daniel Ricciardo's image keeps him in F1

Will Ricciardo remain with RB in 2025?

The 34-year-old responded to the criticism with a strong result in Canada, not only finishing eighth but also ahead of team-mate Tsunoda.

Despite questions surrounding his career, Ricciardo remains keen on retaining his seat with RB and staying in the wider Red Bull family but insists that he is keen to earn it.

"Well, I mean, Canada obviously helps. As I said, I needed a result like that," Ricciardo told the media ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

"Obviously I would like to stay. So as I say, now that I'm back in that Red Bull family that's where... I really don't see myself anywhere else.

"So that's where I'd love to stay and continue. I also said, I think, before the weekend in Canada that I obviously want to earn it. I don't just want it to be like, ‘yeah, yeah OK, stay another year’.

Daniel Ricciardo is out of contract at the end of 2024

"I obviously want to be here because I know that I still belong here and can do performances like I did last week.

"So it's also up to me just to make sure that I can keep pulling it out and in that case, then I'll be very happy to stay."

Whilst Ricciardo remains confident of retaining his place within the team, doubts elsewhere linger, with Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko seeming less certain the Australian will still be with VCARB in 2025.

The 81-year-old recently insisted that Tsunoda is the ‘better’ driver and that Ricciardo will have to consistently replicate results like those in Canada to retain his seat for next season.

If he fails to perform, RB reserve driver Liam Lawson is waiting in the wings, having impressed when filling in for the Australian briefly in 2023.