Daniel Ricciardo has shared his view of his current F1 contract situation, emphasising that whilst he would like to step up to Red Bull, he is happy to carry on with RB next season.
The veteran Australian driver walked away from a seat at the Milton Keynes-based outfit at the end of 2018 and has not tried to hide his ambition of returning to the team.
The eight-time race winner, who claimed seven of those victories with Red Bull, is on loan at RB from the main team – as all drivers who have raced for the team are, with Red Bull holding its contracts centrally.
Amid underwhelming performances to start the year, speculation surrounding Ricciardo’s future in the sport is growing, with many arguing his chances of the Red Bull seat are slim, in part due to the form of Sergio Perez. However, despite the uncertainty, Ricciardo insists he would be happy to remain at RB.
“As I feel today, yes,” the 34-year-old explained to Speedcafe, before adding: “I'm enjoying the driving now; it's not so much result-driven.
“Obviously, I don't want to just be here to be here; I want to earn that seat and the team is hopefully further up. So yeah, I guess it goes both ways. I mean, the answer is yes. But is it more fun fighting at the front? Is it more fun fighting for podiums and wins? Absolutely.”
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'I can win races again'
According to the man himself, Ricciardo still has the self-believe to drive him on, despite the criticism over his recent performances.
Four rounds into the current F1 season, the Australian has yet to finish in a points-scoring position, something his team-mate has done three times.
Despite trailing Yuki Tsunoda by seven points to zero, Ricciardo has his sights set further afield, with podiums and race wins his target.
“The truth is, if I draw a line under it and I speak about myself in the third person: Why did Daniel Ricciardo return after a few months off last year? Because I believe I can stand on the podium again. I can win races again,” he said, underscoring his faith in himself.
“Ultimately, that is it. The belief is there… As long as that belief is still there, I think I'll be happy being here.
“But when I eventually do hang it up, I would love to have stood on the podium a few more times.”
'I want to make people proud'
The 34-year-old is not solely concerned with his own view of things, sharing that what those around him think does matter to him.
“I want to make people proud, and I want people that support me to feel proud of what's going on,” he conceded.
“It's not even proving anything; it's just that you want to remind people – I want to remind some people that two races are not career-defining.
“I'm not in a bad place. I'm not coming from a lack of confidence. Just all this, whatever, it's like yeah, you want to remind…
“In 2018, on my helmet for a little bit, I put some messages on the back of my helmet. I had ‘remind these cats'.
“People forget, you know… I want to prove it to myself that I can do stuff like I did in Mexico last year, just on a consistent basis.”
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