£108k-a-week F1 driver now ‘staring down the barrel’ and may only last ‘a few’ more races

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At the Chinese Grand Prix last weekend, we saw two safety cars in quick succession. Some benefitted, and others saw their race ruined.

Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc were both able to leapfrog the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez and climb into the podium places. They pitted under an initial VSC when Valtteri Bottas ground to a halt, while Perez wouldn’t stop until the full safety car.

The Mexican was able to get past the Ferrari, setting the stage for a late battle with Norris. But the McLaren held onto the runner-up spot fairly comfortably in the end.

Further down the field, there was chaos on the first restart. Haas’ Kevin Magnussen hit the RB of Yuki Tsunoda, puncturing his left-rear tyre and taking his rival out of the race.

Meanwhile, Lance Stroll carried too much speed into the hairpin after race leader Max Verstappen bunched the field up, slamming into the back of Daniel Ricciardo. That in turn caused Ricciardo to hit the McLaren of Oscar Piastri.

Stroll received a 10-second penalty for the collision, and Ricciardo ultimately had to retire with his floor damage. Piastri was able to finish eighth despite the hit on his diffuser.

The RB driver had been running in the points in what was shaping up to be his best weekend of the season so far. But he ultimately left empty-handed.

One F1 driver now fighting to save his seat

Ricciardo had beaten Tsunoda in both sprint qualifying and, for the first time all season, Grand Prix qualifying. The 23-year-old had bagged all seven of his team’s points in 2024 but Ricciardo had a chance to get on the board.

While the former Red Bull driver wasn’t to blame for the manner in which his race ended, it could still be a costly blow. According to journalist Joe Saward, he could lose his drive before the mid-point of the season.

Red Bull are ready to put Liam Lawson, who deputised for an injured Ricciardo at five races last year, in the car if he doesn’t improve. Helmut Marko recently said it would be ‘exciting’ to see him back behind the wheel this year.

Ricciardo now finds himself ‘staring down the barrel of a gun’ in the knowledge that Lawson will take over if he can’t ‘get some points’. He only has ‘a few races’ to potentially save his career.

Daniel Ricciardo picks up grid penalty for Miami Grand Prix

To make matters worse for Ricciardo, he’s incurred a three-place grid drop for the next race in Miami. While he had no control when he hit Piastri, the stewards penalised him for a separate incident where he passed the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg behind the safety car.

Given the limitations of his car, it will be very difficult for Ricciardo to score points after the demotion. He hasn’t qualified higher than 11th at any race this season.

The 34-year-old, who earns £108k per week according to Spotrac, was the beneficiary of a mid-season driver change last year when he replaced Nyck de Vries. But now he may be the victim.

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Red Bull are notoriously ruthless with under-performing drivers, having axed the likes of Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat in recent years. ‘No one would be surprised’, says the BBC’s Andrew Benson, if Ricciardo was next.

The exact timeline for Ricciardo is unclear, but racing driver Richard Bradley is ‘100%’ convinced he won’t last beyond Miami. After McLaren dropped him at the end of 2022, this could spell the end of his F1 career.