F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Ricciardo surprised by Ferrari's 'lack of interest'

Daniel Ricciardo looked at one point like a strong contender for a seat alongside Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari in 2019, but the Scuderia has apparently discarded the Red Bull driver, and the Aussie doesn't know why.

The rumor mill placed Ricciardo at the House of Maranello a few months ago, and indeed he was considered an option to replace Kimi Raikkonen at the Italian outfit.

A hefty salary is said to have been the Honey Badger's demise however, with Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne reluctant to have two big earners in the team with Vettel and Ricciardo.

"I actually thought there would be more interest than there has been from them (Ferrari)," Ricciardo told Motorsport Magazine.

"But maybe something has happened or whatever, I don’t know.

“It’s probably safe to say that my options are pretty limited," he admitted

"I don’t think there will be much movement at the top. Mercedes won’t change their drivers and Ferrari, who knows with them?

"They have Kimi (Raikkonen), and now there’s talk about (Charles) Leclerc, but I don’t know what they’ll do."

A new deal with Red Bull is Ricciardo's most reasonable option at this stage, with a decision on his future likely weeks if not days away.

"I’m obviously leaning toward staying here — I expect to have something signed, sealed and delivered by the summer break. It’s definitely getting closer."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Marko: ‘No chance at all’ for Red Bull in Las Vegas

Helmut Marko believes that Red Bull and Max Verstappen are unlikely to challenge for victory…

2 hours ago

GM revives bid to join F1 with accelerated talks for 2026 entry

Automotive giant General Motors is reportedly back in the game as a potential entrant in…

3 hours ago

Las Vegas GP: Thursday's action in pictures

The opening day of running at the Las Vegas GP was a smooth but chilly…

5 hours ago

Williams' headaches persist into Vegas practice

Williams is continuing to fight uphill battles this weekend in Las Vegas as a knock-on…

6 hours ago

Ferrari's Sainz 'not satisfied with where we are' in Vegas

It was a solid start to the Las Vegas weekend for Ferrari with Carlos Sainz…

7 hours ago

Norris labels McLaren long-run pace ‘shocking’ in chilly Vegas

Lando Norris didn’t hold back in his assessment of McLaren’s performance on the opening day…

8 hours ago