The Formula 1 driver’s market is beginning to shake out and more than half of the seats on the 2025 grid have now been confirmed.
It means those drivers without a contract for next year are under increasing pressure at every race and the Canadian Grand Prix was no different.
Danica Patrick was covering the race for Sky Sports F1 and discussing the prospects of one driver who is still in limbo when it comes to his future in the sport.
The Red Bull group were the latest manufacturer on the grid to make their move in the driver’s market.
Max Verstappen’s contract runs until the end of the 2028 season and it’s been confirmed that he will be partnered by Sergio Perez for the next two years despite back-to-back poor performances.
With no seat available at Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda was confirmed as Visa Cash App RB’s first driver in 2025 after a very strong start to the campaign.
That leaves Daniel Ricciardo as the last driver in their roster with an uncertain future and Patrick thinks he’s in a very challenging moment in his career.
After missing out on his dream of returning to Red Bull, Ricciardo needs to work out how long he wants to spend driving for their sister team.
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Danica Patrick thinks Daniel Ricciardo is in a ‘challenging’ moment in his career
Before the start of the race, Jacques Villeneuve had made his feelings clear about Ricciardo’s position in the sport.
He suggested that the Australian doesn’t fully deserve his place on the grid, a statement that he’s already responded to.
Tsunoda has been the stronger RB driver this season and still sits in the top ten of the Drivers’ Championship despite spinning out towards the end of the race.
He was linked with several teams on the grid before putting pen to paper on a deal for 2025.
Ricciardo hasn’t been confirmed by RB for next year yet and there is less interest in his services from other teams on the grid.
There is also Liam Lawson waiting in the wings and he has a clause in his contract that might spell the end of Ricciardo’s time with the team.
Daniel Ricciardo at a crucial moment in his F1 career
Talking about Ricciardo’s future, Patrick said: “He’s at a very challenging point in his career.
“Falling down from great teams, spending time outside of the car during seasons and having injuries.
“He even said the other day, he’s not 20 years old anymore with the same focus, you have to be very focused on what it is that you want to do and there are other things that could take away from it, so he really, really needs to buckle down on that.
“I think that you can see it, you can see it this weekend. Yuki [Tsunoda] obviously re-signing is probably a little bit painful, the struggles he’s had.
“I honestly think that, was it Jacques [Villeneuve] that said, I don’t know, both RBs are good this weekend, I think the cars are just handling really well for them and they’re able to push it.
“This is a car that requires a pretty good balance and they feel like they have that.”
It will be interesting to see what decision Red Bull eventually take on Ricciardo’s future.
Christian Horner is a fan of Ricciardo’s but Helmut Marko will be keen to show the talent in Red Bull’s academy that there is a pathway to Formula 1.
At 34, Ricciardo doesn’t represent the future of the team but is still a very solid performer as his points finish in Canada highlighted.
However, the likes of Lawson and Isack Hadjar may start exploring other options sooner rather than later if Ricciardo signs a new deal.
The post ‘Little bit painful’: Danica Patrick says eight-win F1 driver is at a ‘very challenging’ moment in his career appeared first on F1 Oversteer.