Friday was not an easy day for Daniel Ricciardo as the 2024 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix got underway.
But despite its early struggles, one of the great attractions of F1 is its continued positivity.
Ricciardo recorded the 16th fastest time in practice this week, but was unable to improve on that position in Friday’s F1 sprint qualifying. The Visa Cash App RB F1 Team driver finished 16th and was eliminated in SQ1.
Perhaps adding to the frustration was the fact that Ricciardo missed out on second place in qualifying by just 0.3 seconds, behind team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.
However, speaking after the session, Ricciardo remained upbeat.
“It’s always difficult here because it’s a short lap. We’ve made quite a few changes since FP1 and we’re still trying to learn the package, but of course it’s frustrating when you miss by just a little bit,” the driver said in VCARB’s post-session media report. “The second lap of sprint qualifying was definitely better than the first, but there are still some areas that need fine-tuning. I think we’ve made the right changes but maybe we need to get the balance better. We always try to use the sprints to understand the car better, so I’m optimistic.”
Ricciardo’s optimism comes amid growing speculation about his position within the team, not just for the 2025 season, but possibly for the remainder of this season. Red Bull senior advisor Dr Helmut Marko began the speculation ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix earlier this week, indicating there could be pressure from shareholders to give young driver Liam Lawson a VCARB seat.
Speculation was fuelled when prominent F1 journalist Joe Saward took to social media to speculate that Lawson could take the seat as early as this summer.
While adhering to the usual caution that all rumours about driver transfers in F1 should be taken with a pinch of salt and taken in context, Ricciardo acknowledged at media day on Thursday that he needed to improve his performance.
“I, [Red Bull] “Strangely enough it’s fun sometimes to get a nudge from Helmut because I think it’s a way of pushing me a bit and doing my best,” Ricciardo told media gathering on Thursday.
Still, Ricciardo was clear about what he needed to do to secure his future.
“Obviously I have a good chance until the summer break because it’s on-track work,” Ricciardo continued. “I don’t think that’s the deadline, but it’s obviously a target for the first half of the season, so I’m trying to do what I can and achieve my objectives.”
On Friday, 2nd FIA Press Conference Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, VCARB CEO Peter Beyer spoke about Ricciardo’s performance so far and the rumours surrounding Lawson.
“good, [Ricciardo] “He’s certainly helped us a lot. Looking back at when he joined the team last year, he brought a whole new energy and spirit to the team. And he’s been very helpful in supporting Yuki. Yuki said recently that he’s still learning from Daniel.” Bayer started“And developing drivers is part of our job, which is also a mandate from our shareholders, and that’s what we’re doing now. But as Christian said, this is about performance.
“Luckily, juniors have a few options. [program]But we’re not going to rush into making any decisions about next year’s lineup. Yuuki’s joining is confirmed, which was very important to us. And honestly, our focus right now is on the car, and we’re going into the summer holidays and we’re going to talk about it quietly.”
Beyer and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner were pressed about their impressive driver line-up. Luke Smith Athletic. Horner outlined how any decisions would be dealt with internally first, but said that like everything in F1, the VCARB line-up is “in flux”.
“I think anything to do with the drivers will be handled internally before they speak to the media. They are all, as I said, Red Bull racing drivers and all Red Bull drivers know that there is always pressure and they are always being watched.” Horner explained“But with Daniel in the seat, it’s up to him to make the most of it. And as you see in F1, things are always in flux.”
Beyer, meanwhile, agreed with Horner’s view.
“To add to what Christian summed up perfectly, Liam is part of the team, he’s a test driver and he’s in the simulator,” Beyer added. “As most of you know, he [Testing of Previous Car session]”We are in the business of developing young drivers, but the decision on the second seat will be made quietly and in no rush.”
VCARB and Red Bull may be in no rush to solidify their 2025 line-up and make a decision on Ricciardo’s future, but the driver remains under increasing pressure to perform well.
