Ricciardo reveals plan to secure Marko trust and F1 future

Daniel Ricciardo has shared what he feels he must do if he to secure his Visa Cash App RB future as Helmut Marko suggests the team pick a younger driver in his seat.

Ricciardo rejoined the Red Bull family in 2023 with the 'junior' team, and whilst it was hoped he would rediscover the form which saw him win seven times with the senior outfit, the Australian has lacked consistency.

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With both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez locked into the Red Bull team, Ricciardo's most viable option to remain on the grid is to continue with the Racing Bulls team.

But Helmut Marko, director of the Red Bull F1 teams, fuelled doubts that the 34-year-old would keep his place on the grid with comments to Kleine Zeitung that young prospect Liam Lawson could be put in the seat after shareholders emphasized Racing Bulls' role as a junior team.

Will Ricciardo stay in F1 beyond 2024?

When Ricciardo first departed Red Bull in 2018, he did so with his stock high. If he is to leave the outfit and the grid this time around, it is likely that it will mark his retirement from the sport.

But the former Renault and McLaren driver is not ready to throw in the towel yet, despite Marko's comments.

"I don’t feel one way or another about it," he told written media ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, regarding Marko namedropping Lawson.

"I still know that the overriding thing in this sport is performance, and that’s what will give me my best chance of staying here. It’s not going to be my smile or anything else, it’s the on-track stuff.

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"So I’ve obviously got a good opportunity, I say until the summer break, I don’t think that’s a deadline, but obviously that’s what you look at for the first half of the season.

"If I kick arse here, if I kick arse in Silverstone, then I think the narrative can change. I think that’s where I obviously have to own that and be on top of what I can do."

Ricciardo had a poor start to the season, and still trails team-mate Yuki Tsunoda by 10 points. However, he has bettered Tsunoda's performances in the last two weekends and hopes that is the start of a resurgence.

"I’m sure qualifying fifth in Montreal made Helmut smile. If I can do that a few more times I’m sure I’ll make him smile. It’s still so heavily [based] on performance, and yeah, just keep focused on that," Ricciardo concluded.

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