Daniel Ricciardo would have hoped he had a route back to Red Bull when he re-joined the junior team midway through last year. Christian Horner handed him a lifeline after the decision to axe Nyck de Vries.
Ricciardo had, of course, left of his own volition at the end of the 2018 season as he tried to pursue his championship ambitions elsewhere. But Renault didn’t meet his expectations and he then struggled up against Lando Norris at McLaren.
The Australian found himself back at square one, but he knew that, if he could earn a return to Red Bull, he’d be able to add to his tally of eight race wins. A title challenge wouldn’t be entirely out of the question either, even if that would mean beating the mighty Max Verstappen.
At the start of the season, Ricciardo looked a ‘dead-cert’ to replace Sergio Perez as long as he delivered, such is the backing he enjoys from Horner. However, the 34-year-old hasn’t been able to match teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
All five of his championship points so far came in a brilliant performance at the Miami Grand Prix Sprint, where he finished fourth. That’s increasingly looking like a flash in the pan.
Ricciardo could easily have put pressure on Perez, who’s only fifth in the drivers’ championship. But with the unfancied Tsunoda scoring nearly four times the number of points (19), the Mexican faced little meaningful competition before signing a new two-year contract this week.
Daniel Ricciardo F1 future in doubt after Red Bull retain Sergio Perez
According to Speedcafe, the Perez announcement ‘draws into question Ricciardo’s desire to remain on the grid’. The Red Bull avenue is now ‘seemingly closed’.
Indeed, if Perez sees out the full length of that deal and Verstappen continues to honour his contract, there won’t be another vacancy at Milton Keynes until 2027. By that point, Ricciardo will be 36.
If he wants to continue in F1, earning an extension at RB is his only option. And that may be a depressing reality for a driver who’s scored 32 podiums during his career.
With no upward mobility, Ricciardo may consider walking away from the sport for good. It seems like his days at the front of the F1 grid are over.
Liam Lawson banking on Ricciardo exit as Sauber and Williams set to reject him
Much will depend on whether Ricciardo has the motivation to keep scrapping in the midfield, with no real end goal beyond that. F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport, so racing in the sport alone may be enough, but this is a driver with huge ambition.
The person who will be most interested in all of this is Liam Lawson. As it stands, it looks unlikely that the 22-year-old reserve will make a full-time F1 debut next year given that Ricciardo retains the faith of Horner.
Lawson deputised for an injured Ricciardo at five races in 2023 and has been watching on from the sidelines this year in the hope that his time will come. He has the option to leave Red Bull if they don’t give him a seat but Sauber and Williams want a more experienced driver while Haas and Alpine are likely to look at alternative rookies.
Tsunoda leaving could also open a door at RB, but the expectation is that Red Bull won’t release him. As such, Lawson’s chances could all depend on Ricciardo’s desire to continue in the sport.
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