A cloud of uncertainty still lingers over Daniel Ricciardo’s future in F1, but Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has rubbished claims of the Aussie’s exit from RB ahead of next week’s race at Imola.
Ricciardo's struggles in the opening stretch of the 2024 season have been a talking point in the paddock, with disappointing results fueling speculation that the eight-time Grand Prix winner’s seat at RB could be at risk.
Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson has been patiently waiting in the wings since his impressive five-race stint with AlphaTauri last season as Ricciardo’s substitute following the latter’s injury at Zandvoort.
And it appears that Lawson’s manager has been talking up the Kiwi’s chances of returning to the grid. But Marko has made clear that there are no plans currently on the table to replace Riccardo, although the latter remains s under close scrutiny.
“The rumours that Ricciardo will be replaced by Liam Lawson at Imola are nonsense,” Marko wrote in a column for Speedweek.
“Liam's manager from New Zealand apparently he has certain dreams and they are made known through some media - including from New Zealand. Nothing at all is planned in Imola.
“But of course we will look at this in the future,” said the Austrian.
Amid Ricciardo’s difficulties, the F1 veteran produced a thrilling performance in last weekend’s Sprint event in Miami where the RB charger qualified fourth and finished in the same position at the end of the short-form race.
“Daniel also delivered a remarkable performance in the sprint,” commented Marko. “Fourth place was a sensation and he set the fastest time in Sector 3.
“This sector consists mainly of slow corners. If you drive precisely there, you will gain an incredible amount of time. And if you make a mistake, it's doubly punishing because of the slow speed.”
Unfortunately, much to Marko’s confusion, Ricciardo was nowhere to be seen later in the day in Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session which he concluded a lowly P18 before finishing 15th in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
“Three hours later, Ricciardo made a mistake [in the sector] where he achieved his fourth place.,” lamented Marko.
“This meant he was out of the window in qualifying and was eliminated in Q1. But that wasn't all, because Ricciardo never got up to speed in the race either.
“Yuki [Tsunoda] set consistently fast times, while Ricciardo lacked the speed and confidence that was evident in the sprint.”
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