Daniel Ricciardo once called a return to Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen the “fairytale” ending to his Formula 1 story.
But that dream scenario seems a little less likely at the moment, given the recent announcement by the team of a new contract with Sergio Pérez. Now instead of making a move to Red Bull, Ricciardo is fighting to keep his current seat at Visa Cash App RB F1 Team alongside Yuki Tsunoda. And with VCARB deciding to keep Tsunoda in one of those seats for 2025, Ricciardo is hoping to fend off reserve driver Liam Lawson for the other.
However, Ricciardo wants to “earn” that seat.
Speaking at the FIA Press Conference ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, Ricciardo was asked about his own F1 future. The veteran driver hailed his recent result in the Canadian Grand Prix — where he finished inside the points for the first time in a Grand Prix all season (Ricciardo finished fourth in the F1 Sprint Race in Miami for his first points of the year) — as a much-needed result.
“Well, I mean, Canada obviously helps,” started Riccardo when asked about his future. “As I said, I needed a result like that.”
The driver then elaborated on his mindset heading into the Spanish Grand Prix, as well as his thoughts on his F1 standing.
“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,” continued Ricciardo. “So that’s where I’d love to stay and continue.
“I also said, I think, before the weekend in Canada that, you know, I obviously want to earn it. Like I don’t just want it to be like, ‘ Yeah. Yeah. OK. Stay another year’. I obviously want to be here because I know that I still belong here and can do 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.”
Later in the press conference, Ricciardo elaborated on the “mental anguish” that drivers go through when facing an uncertain future.
“Yeah, it’s tough. It’s tough because as Carlos touched on, there’s not really just one thing behind a decision. There’s so many … it can be very taxing,” described Ricciardo. “Of course, you need to give it the time required because it’s your future and it’s your career and obviously something you work very hard for, but also as he touched on, at some point you just want to make the decision and kind of move on.
“But yeah, it’s tough because you can’t take it lightly. It’s one of those ones. I guess we all go through it. We’ve all been through it in some way, shape or form. But I think it means a lot to us and that’s why we obviously put so much weight on it.”
Ricciardo will get his next crack at earning that spot in tomorrow’s dual practice sessions ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
