Daniel Ricciardo responds to Helmut Marko's comments hinting he would be replaced by Liam Lawson in July

Daniel Ricciardo has shared that he has no fear when it comes to losing his seat in Formula 1, as comments made by Helmut Marko regarding the Australian driver surfaced. Marko had told the Austrian media that Daniel was going to be replaced by Liam Lawson in July.

On the other hand, a comment from a Red Bull senior spokesperson to Sportskeeda had clarified that the driver's seat was not in any danger whatsoever. Daniel Ricciardo had rejoined the team he was a part of a decade ago with the motive of getting back to the frontrunning seat.

His performances this season for the Racing Bulls team have not been as good as he might have hoped for. If we compare them with Yuki Tsunoda, the gap is between the two drivers in terms of points is quite large.

The Australian has been outqualified comfortably and Yuki Tsunoda has held the edge in the races as well. From a position of trying to prove himself to Red Bull and replace Sergio Perez in the senior team, Daniel Ricciardo now finds himself in a situation where he's fighting for his seat. The Australian maintained a bold front when he was questioned about Helmut Marko's comments.

The driver said that he had not read the comments and even if there was something that had been said, it didn't affect him because he's aware that F1 is a performance-based sport. Explaining how none of this added any pressure whatsoever, he told media including RacingNews365,

"If I perform, I feel like there is a very good chance to stay here and that will be the dominant and most over-riding factor. It doesn't affect my performance and I'm not driving the car now thinking I am fighting for my seat, Maybe two years ago when I lost my seat [I was but] I don't live with a fear of this."

He added,

"I didn't read [Marko's comments] actually but obviously I am informed about these things and the way I see it is simple. It will always be performance-based and me coming back to the Red Bull family is something that I really love. It is a nice story and all that, but it isn't done and that is what I am trying to do."

Daniel Ricciardo targeting 300 races

Rather than a very short-term focus of trying to secure his immediate future, Daniel Ricciardo said that his eye was on the '300 race' mark. The Australian said that this was a number that not many have reached in F1, and it would mean a lot to him if he's able to achieve it. This weekend Ricciardo will be racing in his 250th race. For a driver who was almost out of F1 last year, 300 is an impressive target for sure. He said,

"If I am still the driver I know I can be, then I would say there is a chance of reaching 300. The way I see it, at this point in my career, if I want to be here, if I can still do it, I can still perform at this level and 50 more races is two seasons at this rate."

Daniel Ricciardo is rumored to be on borrowed time. The Australian is in a fight with Liam Lawson for the second seat at RB and it remains to be seen what direction the team takes.