Ricciardo opens up on F1 exit speculation

Daniel Ricciardo has opened up on fears that his Formula 1 career may have been coming to an abrupt end.

The Australian is part of the furniture in F1, a much-loved driver that has eight grand prix victories to his name, as well as several iconic Drive to Survive moments.

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Ricciardo has raced with four different teams across his career, including Red Bull, McLaren and Renault.

He is currently racing with the Visa Cash App RB team, Red Bull's sister team and the outfit with whom he started his F1 career with back in 2011.

Ricciardo reveals F1 'bonus'

Ricciardo has raced alongside Yuki Tsunoda at RB since midway through the 2023 season, when he stepped in to replace the dropped Nyck de Vries, but has struggled to consistently produce good results.

In 2024, the 35-year-old has been under immense pressure to keep his spot with the Faenza-based outfit, having been outperformed by Tsunoda at a team that famously prefers giving young drivers a chance in the sport.

If Ricciardo were to be booted from F1 in favour of a Liam Lawson or Isack Hadjar, it would not be the first time he has spent time away from the F1 grid.

Following poor performances at McLaren throughout the 2022 season, the Australian was released from his contract a year early, and spent the first half of the 2023 season as a reserve driver back at Red Bull.

Now, Ricciardo has suggested it was that experience that is helping him to work his way through his current struggles at RB.

"It's not like I have an 'I don't care' approach, but my perspective is that all this now is a bonus because I really thought at the end of 2022 maybe I would never race Formula 1 again," he told Autosport.

"So, to have this second chance, if there is going to be some pressure then okay, let's take it on. Nothing can really hurt me anymore.

"I can't control anything that's going to happen. I can control what happens on track. I don't even take it race by race. I take it session by session."

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