Ricciardo reveals when he will exit F1

Daniel Ricciardo says he is not "ready to hand" his F1 drive over to a Red Bull junior, but admits he would not be "comfortable" with merely "occupying" his RB seat.

The 35-year-old told RacingNews365 in an exclusive interview that when the time comes he will most likely "speak openly about" having reached that point in his career.

Having staved off early-season insecurity over his RB seat due to a slow start to the campaign, Ricciardo has re-discovered his form, proving a much closer match for team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

Liam Lawson, who was tipped to step in - and made the F1 world sit up and take notice last season when he deputised for the Australian for five rounds whilst he recovered from injury - continues to wait in the wings.

Despite not being replaced earlier in the year, and it now being confirmed by Red Bull that its driver line-ups will remain unchanged for the rest of 2024, doubts over Ricciardo's long-term future persist.

Respect for the 'journey'

Helmut Marko has called for RB to return to its roots as a junior team, and pressure is mounting for it to re-adopt that philosophy.

The Red Bull family has options, further applying the pressure to the likes of Ricciardo, and Sergio Perez.

In addition to Lawson, 19-year-old Isack Hadjar is knocking on the door of F1 and leads the F2 drivers' championship this term.

In F3, 16-year-old Arvid Lindblad is attracting attention amid a title challenge and is thought to be the catalyst for the FIA's recent loosening of the super licence rules, believed to be at the behest of Red Bull.

A junior team is something Ricciardo, now in his mid-30s, no longer fits the profile of, despite joking he looks younger having recently shaved.

"Look, I also know what it's like to be a junior, and a young kid that's hungry and wants that chance to get in the sport," the eight-time grand prix winner admitted.

"I've been there and it doesn't feel like that long ago. And look, I also respect that. So, the day I feel like I'm occupying a seat that I can't fill, I won't be comfortable within myself. I won't want to be here.

"I don't want to stop someone having their chance. I respect the journey too much. But equally, I don't feel like I'm in that place. And the day I do, I will probably speak openly about it. 

"Right now... I guess talking a year ago, like this is my last chance, so that's how I view it. I will give it everything I've got, and the juniors will have their chance and their time, but I don't feel ready to hand it over."

'They'll get that chance - but not yet'

Prior to the Canadian Grand Prix, where Ricciardo scored his first top 10 finish over a full-length race distance of the year, he was outscored by the Tsunoda 19 points to five - all of which had come courtesy of an impressive drive to fourth-place in the Miami sprint.

However, since then, the eight-time grand prix winner has outscored the Japanese driver seven points to three.

It is a resurgence, albeit a modest one, that has quietened immediate calls for Ricciardo to make way for the likes of Lawson or Hadjar.

But the Australian is more than familiar with struggling for form. Despite winning the Italian Grand Prix in 2021, he was broadly out-classed and over-matched by Lando Norris during his two years at McLaren.

After being bought out of his contract with the Woking squad in 2022, Ricciardo's time in F1 looked to be all but over. However, Red Bull handed its former driver a lifeline.

Initially brought in as a third driver, the 35-year-old was elevated back to a race seat in place of Nyck de Vries after 10 rounds - the last chance Ricciardo himself referred to.

The RB driver knows that sort of opportunity will not be afforded to him again, and that if is he no longer able to compete at the required level he will be put out to pasture, but he does not feel he has reached that point.

"And look, if my results frickin' suck and whatever then so be it and that will happen, but I personally don't feel like I'm there yet," he added.

"Because I think I'm also too honest with myself, I think I would feel uncomfortable occupying a seat if I really didn't feel my heart was in it anymore.

"Yeah, I wouldn't feel good about it. So, they'll get that chance - but not yet."