F1 Superstars

Ricciardo 'searching for perfection’ in F1 future FIGHT

Daniel Ricciardo is facing a fight to maintain his F1 status

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 4 July 2024 21:57

Daniel Ricciardo has vowed to give Helmut Marko something to think about heading into the summer break, following some improved performances.

The Australian's future within Formula 1 has come under some threat recently, following a poor start to the season where he was largely outperformed by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

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There are plenty of young drivers vowing to get into F1, including Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson, who shone while deputising for Ricciardo last season after the Australian suffered a nasty injury.

However, the 34-year-old's performances over the last few races have improved, now sitting 13th in the drivers' championship with 11 points.

Daniel Ricciardo's RB future is under threat

Daniel Ricciardo's performances have improved in recent races

Ricciardo vows to fight on

Ahead of 2024, there was talk Ricciardo could potentially partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull, with Sergio Perez's position also under threat.

However, the early stage of the season made it clear to Red Bull that Tsunoda was the more realistic option to join Verstappen, and they eventually offered Perez a contract extension.

Ricciardo was instead left to fight for his F1 future in general, something he says he feels he is doing with improved performances.

"I feel like that's three weeks in a row now where I've got most out of it," he told media after the Austrian Grand Prix.

"Still searching for a bit more perfection but yeah, three on the bounce. At least I can I say I swiped out of the paddock three weekends in a row now on a Sunday, feeling proud.

"Just got to keep that up. I've known obviously Helmut such a long time, and at the end of the day he doesn't care about personality," Ricciardo continued.

“What he cares about is the stopwatch and the classification. He's a racer, and that's all he really wants to see from us.

"That can make him not think great about me to all of a sudden think great about me.

"As I said, it's a little bit more consistent now, so just keep it going and hopefully by the summer break he's laying on a beach somewhere saying 'Ricciardo, he's still got it'.'"

Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo Helmut Marko Yuki Tsunoda Liam Lawson drivers' championship