‘Whoa’… Ted Kravitz ‘absolutely astonished’ by what Daniel Ricciardo has said about his RB future

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Daniel Ricciardo is potentially driving in his final race for RB at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend. There’s a chance that Liam Lawson will replace from the US GP onwards.

Lawson looks increasingly likely to be Yuki Tsunoda’s teammate in 2025. The Japanese driver is already under contract for next year, while Ricciardo has spent the entire season fighting for his future.

Earlier this week, Sky Germany’s Ralf Schumacher claimed that Red Bull were planning an early driver change. He believes they want Lawson in the car for the final six races of the current campaign to prepare him for next year.

Ricciardo, then, takes to the track amidst a great deal of uncertainty. He doesn’t know if a strong performance at Marina Bay will save his seat, or whether a decision has already been made.

Tsunoda was clearly the stronger driver at RB at the start of the season, but Ricciardo has closed the gap. The Australian has only finished behind his teammate in two of the last nine races, though a couple of DNFs on the other side of the garage have helped his cause in that regard.

It seems this improvement hasn’t made an impression on the team’s leadership. Indeed, the eight-time race-winner has only been able to bring home three points in that period amid RB’s regression.

Ted Kravitz can’t believe that Daniel Ricciardo didn’t dismiss Liam Lawson rumours

Speaking to the media ahead of the Singapore GP, Ricciardo was grilled on this week’s rumours. He says the plan ‘at the moment’ is for him to see out the season.

But he also refused to rule out the possibility that this was his last race. He pointed to Red Bull’s ruthless history, with drivers like Nyck de Vries, Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat all losing seats midway through the campaign.

Ironically, Ricciardo was the beneficiary when the team dispensed with De Vries. Now he may be the victim of their impatience.

Speaking on Ted’s Podbook, Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz couldn’t hide his amazement at these remarks. And having investigated the story in the paddock, he says a post-Singapore swap ‘might be on the cards’.

“I was absolutely astonished because I thought this was an internet story talking about him potentially being replaced mid-season by Liam Lawson,” he said. “And then he [Ricciardo] comes out and says, ‘well, that’s not the plan at the moment’.

“He dismisses it and then sort of opens the window and says, ‘well, we’ve seen it before and it’s not impossible’. I was like, ‘whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa’.

“This isn’t on the cards. And then the more people you talk to, it might be on the cards and this is not right. Surely?”

Will Buxton notices something ‘interesting’ about Daniel Ricciardo media duties at Singapore Grand Prix

The reason that RB have yet to confirm their driver pairing is that Red Bull are in control. Christian Horner’s decision on Sergio Perez will have direct consequences for the junior outfit.

If Horner decides to axe Perez – and that talk has cooled – then there may still be a place for Ricciardo within the programme. But if the Mexican stays, then he looks destined to lose his battle with Lawson.

Ricciardo was accompanied by a Red Bull media representative, as well as an RB counterpart, as he conducted his interviews on Thursday. Will Buxton thought this was ‘interesting’ because it’s not customary.

The only other team who still are in the driver market is Sauber. But Ricciardo hasn’t had talks with Audi, which likely precludes that potential plan-b.