Last year, two races after his return to F1 at the wheel of the AlphaTauri to replace Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo had to deal with a fracture of the third metacarpal of his left hand sustained after an accident in the Free Practice sessions of the Dutch GPToday, on the eve of the Zandvoort weekend, the Australian is ready to return from the summer break as a Racing Bulls driver, and not as Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull after all the rumours that arose following Sergio Perez’s unconvincing performances.
A two-faced Zandvoort a year later for Ricciardo, very close to a return to Milton Keynes that did not materialize: “I thought something might happen, but I didn’t expect it and I didn’t have any illusions. – he explained – I was aware that maybe something would change, but I told myself to do what I was doing and maybe I would get a call. Obviously that call didn’t come, but I had prepared myself mentally. So, everything remains the same”. Still on the subject of the ‘future’, the recent statements by Helmut Marko have also made the news, as he has guaranteed a seat in 2025 to Liam Lawson on one of the Red Bull cars, including the RB ones. Could Ricciardo be the driver who will have to pack his bags next season?
“Performance is my best friend – commented on this topic – And if I do what I know I can do and that I am capable of I think this puts me in a good position to stay somewhere with family for the next season. I just have to focus on that. Liam has done a great job and I think he deserves a place on the grid, he did a great job last year and I think he’s a worthy driver. What that means for me is probably a bit unknown, but if I perform well, I’m sure they’ll find a place for me somewhere. I think it’s clear that from Montreal I have done more than what was probably expected of me in terms of results and I have to continue to maintain this pace.”
Focusing instead on the upcoming weekend, Ricciardo dwelt on the strong wind that could affect the activity on the track: “You can’t be prepared for gusts of 50-80 km/h – he concluded – It will probably be like driving on wet roads. In any case it may be very useful to look at the flags to better understand the direction of the wind. Obviously it is difficult to understand the speed, but a headwind gives us more grip, unlike a tailwind”.
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