Daniel Ricciardo had the best result of his comeback career pastime out in Miami, the only problem was it was in the minor event – The Sprint Race. The likeable Aussie failed to get out of Q1 in Grand Prix qualifying which in effect ruined his race before it began. Ricciardo finished P15 and outside the points.

It was however a good weekend for RB with Yuki Tsunoda finishing the GP in P7 and his 4 points plus the 5 from Daniel in the Sprint saw the team have its best weekend of the season so far.

 

 

 

‘Ricciardo must be faster than Yuki’

Since his return to the Red Bull fold, Ricciardo has struggled to dominate his junior team mate which leads to persistent rumours Daniel’s time with the team is on the clock. During the Miami weekend a number of European news outlets reported that come the next race in Imola, Ricciardo is to be replaced by Liam Lawson who impressed during his five Grand Prix outings in 2023.

Given his role as junior driver scout and mentor to Max Verstappen, Dr. Marko speaks regularly on the performance the four drivers in the Red Bull F1 family. This unfortunately fuelled the Ricciardo rumours further when in the run up to the Chinese Grand Prix, Marko claimed: 

“The expectation was that he had to be clearly faster than Yuki if he wanted to have any hope of getting the seat at Red Bull,” said Marko. “That hasn’t been the case so far, even if it was close [in Japan].

“We’ll see how that develops.”

Hulkenberg reveals details of Audi deal

 

 

 

Driver dispute between Marko and Horner

Yet in that statement appears a lifeline for the eight times Grand Prix winner who many believed had been brought in by Christian Horner as backup or a replacement for Sergio Perez last year. Marko says to get the Perez seat, Ricciardo has to be “clearly faster than Yuki.”

But Yuki’s seat is not safe as Christian Horner was reportedly set to replace the Japanese driver for this season, only for Dr. Marko to intervene. The Red Bull team boss and the Austrian consultant didn’t see eye to eye over another driver decision recently. Nyck de Vries was recommended to the board by Dr. Marko for a seat with AlphaTauri last season, while Christian Horner preferred to reinstate Daniel Ricciardo.

De Vries was given just ten races before being replaced by the Australian driver, as Dr. Marko then admitted publicly on this occasion it was Christian Horner who was right.

Now Dr. Marko appears to be quelling the rumours of Ricciardo’s imminent replacement and he suggests the source of the stories have been emanating from New Zealand.

Ticket price hikes as Liberty reveal F1 business model

 

 

 

Marko blames Lawson’s manager for rumours

“The rumours that Ricciardo will be replaced by Liam Lawson at Imola are nonsense,” Marko wrote in his column this week for Speedweek.

“Liam’s manager from New Zealand was there and, apparently, he has certain dreams and they are made known through some media, including from New Zealand.

“Nothing at all is planned in Imola,” Marko asserted.

The 81 year old Austrian went on to praise Ricciardo’s performance in the Miami Sprint suggesting he had mastered the sectors of the track well where the most time can be found.

Piastri calls for FIA clampdown

 

 

 

High praise for Daniel’s efforts in Miami

“Daniel also delivered a remarkable performance in the Sprint,” Marko wrote. “Fourth place was a sensation and he set the fastest time in sector three.

“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.”

The good doctor went on to explain that Daniel’s poor effort in Grand Prix Qualifying was in fact through a mistake where he had been excellent in the previous morning’s race.

“Three hours later, Ricciardo made a mistake [in the sector] where he achieved his fourth place,” Marko highlighted.

Ferrari monster upgrade for Imola tested

 

 

 

Lawson promised a 2025 drive

“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 set consistently fast times, while Ricciardo lacked the speed and confidence that was evident in the Sprint.”

Its understandable that Liam Lawson is chomping at the bit, particularly after Helmut Marko had suggested he could be in the RB seat before the start of the 2025. Lawson who has completed five Grand Prix is no longer eligible for the young driver FP1 sessions.

McLaren surprise revelation about Oscar Piastri

 

 

 

New Zealander wants in “as soon as possible”

Speaking at the second round of there 2024 campaign, Lawson revealed he is ready to replace whichever RB driver ultimately gets the long goodbye.

“I think Daniel knows that the potential is there, but I’m sure he’s probably expected to step it up,” Lawson said.

“Obviously this year it’s the first in a while where everything is exactly the same [with drivers]. It makes it very tough to get a seat when there are multiple guys. I feel like I’m ready but there’s a lot of other guys there also.

“Ultimately my goal is to get back in that seat as soon as possible.”

Verstappen slams F1 bosses

 

 

 

Ricciardo announced as Hollywood film producer

Meanwhile Daniel Ricciardo is set to follow in the steps of Lewis Hamilton as it was announced he would be executive producer for a Hollywood comedy show called “Entitled Downforce” and it follows the fortunes of a family owned team under the control of an heiress (modelled on Claire Williams perchance?).

The Hollywood Reporter reports, the show has been written by Alec Berg and Adam Countee, who were responsible for Silicon Valley. Berg was also a writer for Seinfeld, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Currently only a pilot is planned, but this is another example of the rise in F1 based entertainment programming.

Marko reveals Newey’s next team

 

 

 

Wolff responds to Red Bull accusations

Formula 1 is a fast-paced world where tensions between team bosses often spill into public view. The latest dispute is a great example of this, with Toto Wolff, the Team Principal of Mercedes, currently fending off criticism from Red Bull’s management.

While details remain sparse and official statements are meticulously vague, the tension is palpable. Accusations of “playing chess” with driver contracts hint at a deeper game of strategy and influence, where every move and countermove can have far-reaching consequences…. READ MORE