RB doing 'best possible job' to boost Ricciardo form

RB team principal Laurent Mekies has revealed the squad is doing the "best possible job" to help Daniel Ricciardo improve and fight for his seat next season. 

Ricciardo has endured a disappointing campaign which has seen him score 10 fewer points than team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who has already been rewarded with a new contract for next year. 

The Red Bull family is yet to offer Ricciardo a new deal but has confirmed he will see out the remainder of the current campaign for the sister team. 

He has shown glimpses of his speed this season and has improved as the campaign has developed, with Mekies noting that when Ricciardo feels good with the car, he is at his strongest.

"I guess a way to look at it is yes, he definitely closed the gap that we were in at race one, race two, race three, race four whatever," Mekies exclusively told RacingNews365. 

"So that gap has been closed by Daniel, he has stepped up there. He has also demonstrated that when the conditions were right, he was the old Daniel we all want to see."

The Canadian Grand Prix was a particularly good weekend for the eight-time F1 race winner, as he delivered a superb P8 finish for the Faenza-based outfit. 

However, as pointed out by Mekies, Ricciardo also performed well in Miami where he finished fourth in the sprint race.

"You refer to Canada but there was also Miami before, there were a couple of other races where he has been very strong. Sometimes it was very visible like in Miami or Canada, sometimes a bit less so. 

"So, can he make it? Yes. We are trying to do the best possible job as a team to put him as often as we can in this sort of sweet spot. 

"It's not something that we succeed in all the time, but we know that if we put him in the sort of sweet spot where with the car he likes to drive, we know that then he drives it as he did in Canada or in Miami.”

Ricciardo's biggest threat

Ricciardo is under pressure to improve his performances in the remaining 10 races of the season, with reserve driver Liam Lawson eager for a promotion. 

Lawson has been waiting patiently for a full-time seat and was excellent as Ricciardo's replacement for several races in 2023, following the experienced driver's crash in Zandvoort which broke his hand.

The reserve driver is often spotted in the RB garage and on the pit wall with Mekies, who is continuing to include the New Zealander in the loop as much as possible. 

"We are very conscious he is a super talented young driver," noted Mekies. "He has demonstrated it quite a few times in his career, notably last year when he had to jump in the car last-second to replace Daniel.

"So we all want to give Liam a chance because we have seen that potential there and you don't want to leave it out there, we are trying to involve him in as much team activity as we can."

Red Bull has confirmed that an announcement regarding Lawson and his future will be made next month. 

The young star is very much a driver Mekies does not want to lose, and has stressed he is a definite option for next season.

"Of course, we are all looking to find solutions to how to put him in the car,” Mekies added. “He is going to be part of the equations on what we do next.

"Because there is no doubt that you never want to leave a talent like that on the other side of the road."