We’re only four races into talohe 2024 Formula 1 season, but already some drivers are at risk of losing their seats.
The wealth of talent who don’t currently have a seat has put many of the 20 drivers on the grid under increased pressure.
Add that to how many of them are out of contract at the end of the year, and as journalist Josh Suttill said on The Race Podcast, we could see teams call time on their current driver line-ups early if they feel they need to.
The teams at the front of the grid are already rushing to confirm their line-ups for 2025.
Red Bull were reportedly putting Fernando Alonso under pressure with his current agreement with Aston Martin set to end, however, he confirmed on Thursday afternoon he would be staying with the team.
Alongside Carlos Sainz being a confirmed free agent, that would send shockwaves up and down the paddock.
However, several teams further down the paddock might be forced to switch up their line-up before the next winter break.
Visa Cash App RB are one of those teams and Daniel Ricciardo is in danger of losing his seat mid-season.
He’s yet to score a point in 2024 and Yuki Tsunoda has been by far the better driver out of the pairing.
The £105,000-a-week Australian has the added pressure of the best rookie without a seat lingering behind him in the garage…
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Daniel Ricciardo in danger of mid-season seat swap at RB
The likes of Zhou Guanyu and Logan Sargeant are hardly pulling up any trees at Sauber and Williams respectively.
The Chinese driver heads to his home Grand Prix having qualified last in three out of four races so far.
Sargeant didn’t even start the race in Australia and under no pressure whatsoever nearly beached his car in the gravel at Suzuka before finishing behind the incredibly slow Alpine drivers.
However, it’s Daniel Ricciardo who arguably faces the most pressure not to lose his seat in a mid-season swap of the same nature as the one that saw him return to the grid last year.
He only needs to speak to Nyck de Vries to confirm that Red Bull are more than capable of being cut-throat when necessary.
Contrasting fortunes for RB’s two drivers in 2024
Asked how much longer RB are willing to give Daniel Ricciardo this season, Josh Suttill said: “I’d like to see [Liam] Lawson get a chance at some point, I think he did a really good job in his stand-in performances last year so he’s a great pick.
“But yeah, it’s a case of who’s going to make way and [Daniel] Ricciardo’s obviously not started the season in the best way.
“I thought his Suzuka weekend was an improvement, in qualifying he was really close to [Yuki] Tsunoda.
“Unfortunately, he ruined it a bit in the race, I think it was a misjudgement a little more on his side but I do agree that it was a first-lap racing incident.
“But then we couldn’t see, can he carry on that improvement that he showed in qualifying into the race.
“So, I think he’s still got a little bit more time but probably not very much, Red Bull is rarely one to give a driver too much patience even for one of their favourite sons like Ricciardo.
“So, he’s still got a little bit more time but I really wouldn’t rule out a mid-season switch if nothing changes and as they showed last year, that doesn’t even mean waiting until the summer break.”
Daniel Ricciardo showed signs of turning around his form in Japan
Although his race ended early and in the wall at Suzuka, Ricciardo showed a marked improvement in Japan.
He was at a disadvantage to his rivals by starting on the medium tyres while those on the soft compound got the jump on him and ultimately he made a small error by not checking his right-side mirror that had far greater consequences.
However, a mid-season seat swap would be a hasty call from RB and although Liam Lawson has plenty of promise, Ricciardo has shown in the past just how quick he can be.
Lawson has a long career ahead of him and there wouldn’t be a huge upside to getting him in the car halfway through 2024.
Ricciardo’s contract expires at the end of the year, he’s shown over the years he should be given the rest of the season to show whether he deserves another deal.
The post ‘Little bit more time’: £105k-a-week driver could end up losing his seat in ‘mid-season switch’ – journalist appeared first on F1 Oversteer.