Ricciardo rejects idea of Marko ultimatum over F1 future

Daniel Ricciardo has denied that Helmut Marko has issued him with any RB ultimatum over his F1 future. 

Ricciardo is currently one of three drivers vying for two seats at Red Bull and RB for the 2025 season, with Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson also contenders. 

Motorsport advisor Marko has made no secret of his desire to see Lawson promoted into an RB drive alongside the already-confirmed Yuki Tsunoda to honour the team's history of giving young drivers a chance - but Ricciardo has also been linked with a return to the senior team to replace the under-performing Perez to partner Max Verstappen. 

Perez was recently given a stay of execution before the summer break with hopes of strong performances in Azerbaijan and Singapore - both races he has won before.

The matter is complicated by the fact that Ricciardo's form at RB has not been outstanding, with 12 points thus far compared to Tsunoda's 22. 

However, despite patchy form and multiple first-lap incidents, Ricciardo has denied being handed an ultimatum by Marko.

"Honestly, I haven't had any, let's say, unreasonable pressure," Ricciardo told media including RacingNews365. 

"I haven't had a hand on the shoulder to pull me into a room and say: 'Hey, do this or else.'

"But I also know what is required, so maybe this tough talk doesn't need to be had, because I've known Helmut and the system a long time, so we all know what is required.

"But has he been putting any extra pressure on me or being unreasonable pressure on me? No, not at all. 

"I think what is being put out there and what he says in the media is a bit more heightened, but I don't feel anything additional from him."

Ricciardo's experience

Ricciardo is the third-oldest and fourth-most experienced driver on the grid behind Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in terms of age, with Perez also having 18 more starts than him, with the eight-time winner having now driven for five teams, including the three Faenza guises of Toro Rosso, AlphaTauri and RB. 

Reflecting on that experience since his 2011 debut, Ricciardo insists that he is now fully focused on the driving and not speculation, as he once would have been.

"I am probably used to it, but a lot of the time, when you are young, you are always a bit more curious about what people think of me or say," he said.

"But at some point, you realise that the weekends are getting busier, the sport is more popular and there is much more being said and thrown around so it is probably impossible to keep up with everything.

"It's not anything with the media, but I have to focus on myself and performance is everything, so it really doesn't matter what someone is saying. 

"What matters is what my hands and feet are doing in the cockpit, and I am putting all my energy into that."