Ricciardo to 'go down swinging' if F1 exit near

Daniel Ricciardo has vowed to 'go down swinging' should his F1 career be drawing to a close.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko indicated after the Spanish Grand Prix that reserve driver Liam Lawson could soon replace Ricciardo after the Australian failed in his stated aim of ousting Sergio Perez from Red Bull.

Marko made clear that on the advice of shareholders stating that VCARB is a junior team, and that it would "soon have to put in a young driver", its choice "will be Liam Lawson".

As to where that leaves Ricciardo, who is slowly showing signs of performance after a disappointing start to the season and given that team-mate Yuki Tsunoda has a contract for next year, remains unclear.

The Australian has scored points in two of the last three grands prix in Canada and Austria to at least hand himself a lifeline.

Asked in an interview on Channel 4 about Marko's comments, Ricciardo does not feel "anything's changed".

"I know that I can obviously produce some good stuff, and I know that this stuff is what Red Bull want to see, [which is] at the end of the day, performance," he replied.

"Either that is going to keep me in the sport or not keep me in the sport. So it's up to me I guess - just more right pedal less left."

Ricciardo forgot about message

Over the Spanish GP weekend, a handwritten message was spotted on the back of Ricciardo's helmet with the words 'not without a fight', seeming to suggest it was a message to Red Bull and VCARB with regard to his F1 future.

Explaining how it came about, Ricciardo said: "I got back to my room after the race in Monaco, and the whole weekend just didn't really go too well for me.

"I was down but I was also inspired to turn it around, so I just sat there quietly in my room, and I just felt like writing that on my helmet. I then just put it away and I actually forgot about it.

"So then when it appeared in Spain, I was like, 'Oh, I remember you'. So yeah, just something, but it's true.

"You don't go down without a fight. I'll leave everything on the table. If it's good enough, it's good enough. If it isn't, then at least I went down swinging."