Ricciardo replies to Marko: “The track counts. I can make him smile”

Marko ‘votes’ Lawson

The second seat of the Racing Bulls team for 2025 seems to have a designated owner and that is not Daniel Ricciardo. He said it recently very explicitly Helmut Markoalways direct and lashing when it comes to promotions and failures of ‘his’ pilots: “We need to promote Liam Lawson”ruled the Austrian manager, aware of the concrete possibility of otherwise losing the New Zealander born in 2002.

The predestined victim would therefore be the ‘kangaroo’ from Perth, who in this year spent in the Faenza team was unable to earn the long-awaited return to Red Bull. Just on the eve of the team’s home race, in Austria, However, Ricciardo reiterated his desire to at least defend his seat, looking for performances similar to those of Montreal, when he was fifth in qualifying and eighth in the race. However, just one swallow does not make a summer.

The Honey Badger replica

“I still know that the most important thing in this sport is performance – declared Ricciardo – and that’s what will give me the best chance of staying here. I have to work. Thinking back to Barcelona, ​​it’s hard to get excited about a 15th place, but I was actually very happy with my race – explained #3 to the journalists present at the Red Bull Ring – so, I’d say that’s at least two good weekends in a row. I think that’s where I struggled this year: having a run of good results“.

Always have the ‘breath down my neck’ of a sometimes even ruthless manager like Marko It doesn’t always help, but Ricciardo is taking the constant barbs of the 80-year-old from Graz as an additional spur: “What he says doesn’t change what I will do – concluded the Australian – I’m sure that fifth place in qualifying in Montreal made Helmut smile. If I can do similar results some other time, I will make him smile again. His focus is on performance and [continuerò a] focus on this. Oddly enough, I sometimes like Helmut’s teasing, because I think it can help me bring out the best.“. The only certainty – also confirmed by Ricciardo – is that there are no ongoing negotiations with other teams: “Do I have other options? I would say no.”he commented.