BARCELONA, SPAIN – JUNE 20: Daniel Ricciardo from Australia and Visa Cash App RB adjusts a seat in the garage during the previews of the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 20, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)
The Faenza-based team has already confirmed that Yuki Tsunoda will be their driver for the 2025 season. However, they have not yet revealed who will occupy the second seat or if Ricciardo will be retained. Liam Lawson, the reserve driver from New Zealand, is also being considered for the position.
Ricciardo, who has won eight Grand Prix races, has been outperformed by Tsunoda in the first nine races of the current season. It was only in the race in Montreal that the Australian driver achieved his first top 10. In contrast, Tsunoda has already achieved five top 10 finishes.
“I needed a result like this,” expressed Ricciardo to reporters before the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. After leaving McLaren at the end of 2022 to make way for Oscar Piastri’s Formula 1 debut, Ricciardo joined VCARB last season and is now back with the Red Bull family. He stated, “I really don’t see myself anywhere else. So that’s where I would love to stay and continue.” Ricciardo emphasized that he wants to earn his place and not just be given another year without merit. He believes he still belongs in Formula 1 and can deliver strong performances, as he did in the previous week.
Before the classification in Canada, Ricciardo faced criticism from the 1997 world champion, Jacques Villeneuve, who has already retired. Villeneuve questioned why Ricciardo was still in Formula 1, saying: “We’ve been hearing the same thing for the past five years. ‘We have to improve the car for him, poor him’. No. You’re in F1. If you can’t cut it, go home. There will be someone else to take your place. I think his image has kept him in F1 more than his actual results,” Villeneuve said on Sky Sports television.
Former Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert echoed Villeneuve’s sentiments before the weekend in Barcelona. “I saw what Jacques said and how he said it. It was the truth. Some people don’t like the truth sometimes. Jacques was completely right,” Herbert commented. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Additional reporting by GRANDPRIX247)
