‘Illustrious’ driver could now be entering the final 10 races of his F1 career

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The Formula 1 driver market has seen a hive of activity since the announcement of Lewis Hamilton’s future at Ferrari and the possibility of Sergio Perez being replaced mid-season.

Sergio Perez started off the season well with Red Bull having finished regularly behind Max Verstappen in second for the first three races, before tailing off towards the midway point of the season.

There was heavy speculation that his crash during qualifying for the Hungarian GP was the final chance for Perez, while his lacklustre performance in Belgium warranted a change.

Red Bull was initially going to replace him with Daniel Ricciardo, but it was later felt that the Australian would not have done a better job. Instead, Red Bull is giving Perez the next few races in an older specification car to get back up to speed.

This has raised some questions about the future for Ricciardo, with Australian journalist Matt Coch making a ‘bold prediction’ over his career on the recent Pit Talk podcast.

Journalist makes ‘bold prediction’ on Daniel Ricciardo’s career

Daniel Ricciardo has made no secret of wanting to be promoted back to the senior Red Bull team after leaving them in 2018, as he feels it is his best chance of getting a top drive again in F1.

So far he has struggled to outperform teammate Yuki Tsunoda at Visa CashApp RB or put in any stand-out performances for the midfield team, although Ricciardo’s chassis change at the Chinese GP seemed to help pick up his season.

Despite the uptake in form, Coch believes this slow start could impact his chances of staying on the grid beyond 2024.

“The bold prediction, I think we’re watching the last 10 races of Daniel Ricciardo’s career,” said Coch.

It saddens me to say that because I love Daniel, he’s very good. But I just think we’re watching the end of an illustrious Australian F1 career, and it’s somewhat disappointing that that is the case.

“Along with Max winning the championship and McLaren winning the Constructors Championship, I think we’re going to see Daniel bow out at the end of the year.”

Daniel Ricciardo in ‘super aggressive’ state

Visa CashApp RB has yet to offer Ricciardo a deal for 2025, but he is still driving to save his F1 future.

Team principal Laurent Mekies believes Ricciardo is in a ‘super aggressive’ state heading into the second half of the season, and expects a tight battle with teammate Tsunoda.

READ MORE: Visa Cash App RB driver Daniel Ricciardo’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Ricciardo faces being replaced by a wealth of talent if he does not improve his form enough to be considered a viable replacement to Perez.

Liam Lawson has been promised a seat for 2025 by Red Bull and a move to RB could be the most likely destination. Formula 2 rookie Isack Hadjar is not expected to be racing in F1 next season, but things could change if he managed to win the junior championship.