Daniel Ricciardo responds to latest Liam Lawson rumours, as Carlos Sainz, Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Ocon dwell into the politics while Logan Sargeant, Kevin Magnussen and Zhou Guanyu add along with Max Verstappen.
Every weekend, the F1 driver market has something to offer. If not announcements, but there are various discussions around the topic. Coming into the Austrian GP weekend, there were talks around Lawson potentially replacing Ricciardo rumour.
Dr Helmut Marko noted that the Red Bull shareholders has reiterated about one of Visa Cash App RB’s goal to give chance to new talent. With Yuki Tsunoda well settled, this gives them a chance to bring in Lawson in place of Ricciardo in the team.
The Australian acknowledged knowing of the stance but only got to know after arriving in Austria. But he is not too fussed about it and wishes to bring the smile on Marko’s face more than once during the course of the 2024 F1 season.
At the same time, Ricciardo will be fine if things don’t work out. There is a scheduled test for Lawson under the TPC programme and the Australian knows how things work at Red Bull. At the moment, he has no other options other than Visa Cash App RB.
Talking about options, the likes of Sainz, Bottas, Ocon, Sargeant, Magnussen and Guanyu do talk about it, but only handful really have the multiple option. The Spaniard is linked with Audi/Sauber, Williams and now Alpine has joined the party.
The Finn and the Frenchman are linked with Audi/Sauber, Williams and Haas. The Chinese racer, meanwhile, has just the Alpine link apart from Audi/Sauber, while the American and the Dane just have their current teams linked to them.
Sainz was philosophical in Austria, stating about the politics of F1 that he came to understand in this process and that he cannot trust a lot of people. Bottas noted about other clauses for a driver signing other than performance, but Ocon stressed on the latter.
Interestingly, Magnussen started to dwell on life beyond F1 whether it is IndyCar and or World Endurance Championship. The Dane talked about the long journey in the sport, where he spent a lot of time in the midfield but enjoyed being part of it still.
Amid the driver set of wanting a F1 seat, Red Bull’s Verstappen had to once again clarify that he will remain where he is for 2025 season after all the Mercedes roll. There was also confirmation about Pierre Gasly at Alpine and Lance Stroll at Aston Martin for 2025.
2025 situation, any other option –
Ricciardo: “Do I have other options? I would say no. I don’t know but I am, not to be stubborn or arrogant about it, but I’m not looking anywhere else. I said I really do enjoy being back in the Red Bull family. I weirdly do enjoy sometimes a little bit of the pokes from Helmut because I think it also could also be a way to get me a little bit fired up and try to get the best out of me. So yeah. In short, no [options]. I don’t want to be casual about it because obviously I care a lot but maybe I’m at a point where it’s just like what will be, will be and I’m just going to put everything I can on the table from effort and performance and if that is good enough to secure me a seat great. If not then okay I did everything I could. I think in terms of the musical chairs stuff, well I need to put all my attention here, simple as that.”
Sainz: “From the other teams, obviously, I’ve learned a lot in which position they are in, and the teams that I am potentially moving to next year, I’ve obviously ducking a lot into the state they are and the situation there is. It’s also made me probably have a better understanding of F1, each team is and where they are. I always not commented on rumours, whether I am close or not close to the team. I have never given you timings, it is conclusions from the different medias. I have never commented on that. I am not going to give you a timeframe because it could keep changing. It’s obviously not the right time. Probably a triple-header isn’t the right time to go back home and take the decision with my team, put all the options in front of the table and think carefully about what’s best for me for my future for my career.
“It is not easy, I’m doing the exercise within myself and my team to really try to avoid looking at each race performance of each team and just focus on the project and the feeling that I get by talking to each team and obviously looking at the contracts. I agree, it’s not easy because sometimes you, the competitive spirit, you just try and see who is faster, but I don’t think the last race of each team is also a representative point of where they’re going to be in the next couple of years. I am trying to stay from going to race-by-race stuff.”
Magnussen: “I talked to him about my own potential future with the team and what I value the most is that he is very open, very honest. I feel like I can trust him. He’s not hiding the fact that he’s talking to other drivers as well. He’s being open about that and I appreciate that a lot more because I’ve had team bosses in the past who weren’t honest, who were telling me BS and I don’t appreciate that. I think it’s part of the game. I’m not surprised he’s talking to other drivers. He wouldn’t be doing his job if he wasn’t so I appreciate the openness. I am an active participant, in contention for a few of the seats and I think that’s great. And I think it’s all very open at the moment. I think there’s good chances for the established guys to end up in a seat anyway and from my perspective, I feel like there is a lot of potential in this team. It feels like there’s always been potential showing at times. The highs have been very high. You look back to some of the races, we’ve done some of the good races that you could take the best races in any year, it’s been fairly good.
“There’s never been a podium here though and there’s never been that season where it’s just all worked out and consistency has been good. You see the potential and talent in the team and almost like some unfulfilled potential. I would think that would be quite fulfilling after so many years here to be part of that. On the other hand, it’s also been a long journey. I’ve been sort of in the midfield pretty much my whole life, every year that I’ve been in Formula 1 and I’m 31 years old. I’m starting to also think that if I finished my motorsport career, having just done F1 in the midfield, that kind of feels maybe empty. So you know what? Some of those races you know, Le Mans, Indy 500. I see the guys that win that, they look bloody happy. Luckily, there’s a great outside of Formula 1 also. I’ve been part of it a few times when I wasn’t in Formula 1 and it’s a great life and it’s pulling a little bit, I would say.”
“When I think about my future it’s not like if I’m not in F1 I feel like it’s going to be a bad life at all. I feel a little bit the opposite, there’s a big cost to being in Formula 1 and sometimes I question whether it’s worth it because it’s 24 races, being a family man it’s a high cost, it’s not just those 24 races it’s a lot of stuff as well and it just fills your year 100% and it’s not easy to do anything else. And I’m passionate about a lot of things, especially in motorsport but also outside of motorsport. The dream has always been to succeed in Formula 1, to win races and championships in Formula 1, but after 10 years in the sport and not really getting there it’s maybe it’s getting old.
“At the end of the day, even though I would have loved to have won many races in these 10 years, I didn’t. It has still been a very exciting, fun and wild journey with so many surprises, ups and downs and emotionally, a roller-coaster with being out of the sport, thinking I’d never be back to getting an opportunity. If I go into detail for all the things that went right for me, I’ve been super, super lucky so I don’t have any regrets. I don’t feel like I have achieved much in Formula 1, but if you look at it from another direction, the fact that I’ve been in the sport for so long is actually some kind of achievement. But there is a lot to be said about winning races – and I haven’t done that for a long time. I’ve missed that.”
Bottas: “I was hoping there would be decisions made earlier this week, but deadlines got pushed back again. So that’s the situation, so nothing new from last weekend. I’ve been active, less so in the race weekends because I want to focus on my job, but we need to start scoring – that’s the main thing now. But on my days off, I’ve been active with my management with different teams, including this team, obviously, so kind of waiting for a piece to fall into a place, and then it should all happen pretty quick. I’ve got my priority and my order, which I can’t tell you, but for me it’s pretty clear what I want. [I can’t go for my priority] because somebody else first has to decide where he’s going and that’s going to decide also, basically how it’s going to go.
“For me, initially, it was a bit weird why one driver would decide everything, but now from my recent understanding there’s reasons for it. As you know, this sport is not always fair. There’s other things as well than just pure performance. There’s always the danger [to lose out], but I’m still confident that I’ll be here next year in one of the seats. Like I said I think last weekend, in this sport until you’re signed, nothing’s confirmed – you can always have talks and stuff but until pen hits the paper, nothing is confirmed. So there’s that element as well, but I’m not too worried based on at least from my understanding of where we are. It is 100% F1 [at the moment].”
Sargeant: “At the moment, I’m just focusing on my job, doing the best I can to make the most of what I have underneath me. Options are open. From my side, I’m exploring all options within and outside of F1 at the moment.”
Guanyu: “I mean, I want to stay here. It’s very clear. But of course, we’re talking to different options and as well as with Sauber. And yeah, nothing has been decided. Like, it’s very easy to say: we’re all waiting for what Carlos wants to decide at the end of the day. But hopefully he can make his decision sooner. And then I think that will just turn around a lot the driver market. But before that, I think, you know, the guys who still haven’t signed can’t really give any clear answer or direction where they want to. But we’re talking and there’s options, but we need to wait and see. For me, no [regarding non F1 options]. I’m just talking to the F1 teams currently. So it’s very clear. But of course, it’s interesting also as a championship.
“But for me, at the moment, it’s not an option there at the moment. So nothing more to add. I mean, if it comes to the case, obviously you need to see exactly where the whole project [is going], because I think to be a reserve driver would be interesting if they can promise a seat is available for the coming seasons. I think that would be still something I can take, but otherwise you need to see exactly where I want to, of course, be heading over, because I don’t want to be, of course, once you take that role, some drivers never come back, which is not the case I wanted to be at.”
Ocon: “We are into deep conversations at the moment. Discussions are going well, at the moment I’m confident with the future and hopefully it will be sorted soon and announced. Yeah I’m confident, but as you said, until it’s signed. I was confident as well at the end of 2018 but for different reasons it didn’t work out. But we have the experience of that. For sure, and at no cost want to live that [axed by Force India] again for sure. But as I said it’s going well at the moment, there’s a lot of deep discussions going well and it should be sorted soon hopefully. Yes, there are many options, but I will not comment on a priority.
“I think it’s never been straightforward, the market, always been very strange. Always been reasons, not only on performance side, there’s been a lot of things going on. I, honestly, don’t think it’s my favourite area of talking, I prefer to race on track, but it is a big things for us. It’s always been a very silly thing in Formula 1, these driver market topics. It is interesting when you get in there and the views of high end people on many different things, but in the end it is still mostly on performance – not only – but mostly, so I still have hope on that.”
Verstappen: “I think I’ve said this before. I mean, actually, of course, people are talking, but it’s most important just that we have a very competitive car for the future. At the moment, of course, it’s very tight, but we are working very well as a team to try and improve more. And for sure, I said this already with the team, we are working and focusing also on next year to try and be competitive again. You didn’t get that out of my answer before? OK – yes. But that’s what I said. I mean, we’re already also working on next year’s car, you know. Yeah, I think when you’re very focused on that, that means that you’re also driving for the team.”
Marko’s comment, Lawson test –
Ricciardo: “I’ve become really good at not reading things. So I actually didn’t know about it until I was told when I got here. I don’t feel one way or another about it, I still know that the overriding thing in this sport is performance. Like that’s it and that’s what will give me my best chance of staying here. I know that it’s not going to be my nice smile or anything else. It’s the on-track stuff so I’ve obviously got a good opportunity, I say until the summer break. I don’t think that’s a deadline but obviously that’s what you look at for the first half of the season. So I try to do what I can and obviously help my cause. On the Helmut stuff, yeah, honestly, it’s fine. It doesn’t change, let’s say, what I’m going to do.
“I believe it’s [Lawson’s test] been planned for a while but in any case, it’s one of those ones where I think also the older you get you understand that you can only control the controllables. If Liam goes and has an amazing test, 100% good for Liam. I’ve got no control over that nor do I wish him poorly. Not at all. Currently I’m in the race seat, so I’ve got to do everything I can to control the things I can and if I kick ass here, if I kick ass in Silverstone then I think the narrative can change. I obviously have to own that and be on top of what I can do. Qualifying fifth in Montreal made Helmut smile. If I can do that a few more times then I’m sure I can make him smile. It’s still so heavily on performance and yeah, I’ll just keep focus on that.”
Pressure to improve –
Ricciardo: “No, I haven’t heard anything – there hasn’t been any pressure, ultimatum, nothing like that. But I’ve been in the sport a long time, I know if I’m getting my ass kicked every weekend, at some point someone will be like, ‘Hey mate, step it up, otherwise…’ But I haven’t had that. But I’m aware that having a good race every so often isn’t good enough, but also is not where I want to be. I don’t want to have an odd high and then a bunch of lows. I think I’ve had good support from, you mentioned Christian but also from Laurent, from everyone. They’re doing what they can, obviously, but at some point, I’m the one in the car and I’ve got to push that right throttle a bit harder, and that’s that.”
Politics –
Sainz: “First of all, the situation that I’ve been in this year has made me learn a lot about F1 in general. By talking to teams, it has shown me how tough the sport is, how little sometimes you have to believe what people say at the beginning of negotiations, conversations and mainly also to trust very little people in the paddock. Because it’s a very political sport, there are a lot of things like this involved. It’s made me understand that, it’s a very tough sport in that sense. I understand the better picture of F1 without going too much into detail.”
Here’s Toto Wolff on Max Verstappen, Esteban Ocon, Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Here’s last from the set of drivers regarding F1 2025
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