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Red Bull Racing has responded to speculation surrounding the future of Daniel Ricciardo at RB, suggesting there will be no change to the team's driver lineup. Speaking to Sportskeeda ahead of the Austrian GP, a senior spokesperson clarified the speculation surrounding the Australian’s future following senior advisor Helmut Marko’s statements.
Marko, the Red Bull Racing senior advisor, spoke to Kleine Zeitung, suggesting that with Sergio Perez signed, Daniel Ricciardo's future with the team might be uncertain. Although RB was trying to reinvent its image beyond the identity of a junior team, the Austrian veteran suggested that the shareholders have decided that RB is no more than a junior team. He went on to suggest that the shareholders' decision needed to be acted upon by putting a junior driver on the team, which in this case is Liam Lawson.
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When Sportskeeda reached out to Red Bull Racing regarding Marko’s statements to the Austrian publication, a senior spokesperson stated that there would be no change to the lineup of the team for 2025. A midseason swap between Daniel Ricciardo and Lawson was not a possibility either. The Australian seems to be backed by both Horner and RB’s senior personnel, Peter Bayer and Laurent Mekies, who hail him as a vital addition to the team. However, Lawson, the New Zealander is one of the candidates being linked to the Audi drive if Carlos Sainz signs up with the Williams F1 team.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, the Red Bull spokesperson commented on the situation at RB, saying:
“No change to driver line up for the foreseeable.”
Christian Horner addresses the situation surrounding the future of Daniel Ricciardo at RB for 2025
Contrary to the senior Red Bull veteran, team CEO Christian Horner seemed to suggest that no decision had been taken on the future of Daniel Ricciardo or Liam Lawson. The Briton claimed that the team will evaluate their options after a few more races. His suggested timeline was for them to analyze the data and determine the junior team lineup over the summer break.
Asked if Daniel Ricciardo had done enough to guarantee his future at RB for 2025 or if there was a deadline for the decision, Horner said:
“I mean we're acutely aware of all of the options. So I guess over the summer break we'll sit down and start to look at it. The more races we have, the more information, the more data we have. So it's where we don't need to be in a rush.”
Ricciardo's underwhelming start to 2024 throws a wrench into his hopes of reclaiming his Red Bull seat. He scored his first championship points at the sprint race in Miami, but his first Grand Prix finish came at the Canadian GP weekend, which was his first clean weekend in ten races. In Spain, the Aussie was quicker than his teammate and secured P15. However, neither of the two RB cars had the pace to make it into the top 10.
As it stands, Daniel Ricciardo has until the end of July to present a case for retention. He has scored 9 points and is running 12th in the driver’s championship, while Yuki Tsunoda has scored 19 points and is placed tenth. Heading into the 250th race weekend of his F1 career in Austria, the Perth-born driver will be sporting a special livery for the weekend. His performance in the next four races will set the tone for his future in the sport.
