Daniel Ricciardo defies F1 chief Helmut Marko claims over RB future

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

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Ricciardo defies Marko claims over RB future

Red Bull chief Helmut Marko has cast doubts on Daniel Ricciardo's future

Kevin McKenna

Saturday 3 August 2024 00:00

Daniel Ricciardo has rejected claims made by Red Bull boss Helmut Marko over his future at Visa Cash App.

The eight-time Formula 1 race winner was speaking following last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

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Ricciardo was edged out of the points in the closing stages of the Spa showpiece to finish 11th, but George Russell's shock post-win disqualification promoted Ricciardo into the top ten.

The result added another point to the Australian's tally, putting him on 12 for the season, ten behind RB team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

Daniel Ricciardo's future at RB is under threat

Helmut Marko has admitted Liam Lawson is a contender to take Ricciardo's seat

Aussie facing fight for his future

Red Bull chief Marko has consistently stated that RB's role in F1 is that of a junior team to the constructors' champions, suggesting that the now 35-year-old Ricciardo cannot be part of their long-term plans.

Ricciardo - who previously drove alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull in the early stages of his career - disagrees with the Austrian's view however, claiming RB are much more than that.

Speaking to media after the Belgian GP, Ricciardo said: “Yeah, it does feel different, and I think it’s easy to kind of rebrand it and say we’ve got a new look and with this and that, but your actions have to follow.

“I think, Laurent [Mekies, team principal], Peter [Bayer, CEO], Alan [Permane, racing director], a lot of guys that have come in have done that.

“It’s not that what was happening in the past with Franz [Tost, former team boss], in that example, wasn’t the right thing, but a change sometimes is good - you bring in new ideas.

Ricciardo has hailed the impact of RB team principal Laurent Mekies

"They’ve all spent time in other teams, organisations. And yeah, it’s just a new way of looking at things.

“I think that in itself and their intentions and the way they go about it has made people kind of stand up and say, alright, this isn’t a junior team anymore.

“We’re making, kind of, big boy decisions and we’re taking risks and we’re setting targets and high targets and ones that we realistically think that we can attain. So, it’s cool. It’s cool to see it.

“I’m probably too, in a way, like honest in myself that if it felt like a junior team still, I wouldn’t feel comfortable here. I’m 35 now. So, I think I would feel a bit out of place, and I certainly don’t. So I think that’s also a good way to probably comprehend it.”

Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo George Russell Yuki Tsunoda Helmut Marko Belgian Grand Prix