RB facing ‘considerable pressure’ from two key partners not to axe Daniel Ricciardo this season

Follow us on Google Discover

RB have still yet to confirm whether Daniel Ricciardo will lose his seat to Liam Lawson from the United States Grand Prix onwards. That remains the expected outcome, but every day of silence is intriguing.

Ricciardo was visibly emotional following last weekend’s race in Singapore. Onboard footage from parc ferme appeared to show him savouring the moment before he climbed out of his cockpit for what could be the final time.

The Australian nearly broke down in tears during his interviews after the race. He’d faced questions about his future throughout the weekend.

Ricciardo is one of the most popular drivers on the F1 grid. He’s started 257 Grands Prix since 2011, winning eight of them and standing on the podium 32 times.

The American market in particular has taken to him. In a commercial sense, RB will feel Ricciardo’s loss at the US GP, and in Las Vegas.

But on track, he’s failed to convince since his comeback midway through 2023. Yuki Tsunoda has outscored him 22-12 in the championship this year, and he leads their qualifying battle 12-6.

Why Visa and Cash App are determined to keep Daniel Ricciardo at RB

According to F1 photographer and paddock insider Kym Illman, the matter is not yet settled. Lawson continues to wait ‘for the phone to ring’ with confirmation of his promotion.

The New Zealander is hoping to feature in the last six races of 2024 ahead of a full-time debut at either RB or Red Bull next season. But he remains in ‘limbo’.

Illman claims that Ricciardo’s management company, CAA, brought title sponsors Visa and Cash App to RB. They replaced AlphaTauri at the start of this year.

And they’re now putting ‘considerable pressure’ on the team to retain Ricciardo, who’s ‘good for business’. It’s unclear how much of an impact this will have given that RB are owned by a giant brand like Red Bull.

Daniel Ricciardo’s boss scolded for ‘talking gibberish’ and sounding ‘drunk’

Senior figures were non-committal on Ricciardo’s future throughout the Singapore weekend. While they may have hinted at an imminent exit, none of them expressly confirmed it.

It may be that Red Bull didn’t want to trigger a payout clause in Ricciardo’s RB contract. But the exact details of the agreements with both relevant drivers are unknown.

Reporter Chris Medland asked team principal Christian Horner if a change was coming. Horner said Red Bull would ‘review’ Ricciardo’s position before Austin.

Meanwhile, RB boss Laurent Mekies waited for word from the top team, who control the driver pool. One pundit said Mekies talked ‘gibberish’ and sounded ‘drunk’ in an interview before the race.