F1 Drivers Market Intrigue
The words spoken before and after the Singapore GP do not seem to leave much room for hope: Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 career now seems to have reached the end of the lineIt is in fact known that Liam Lawson has a clause in his contract with Red Bull that could allow him to free himself from all obligations towards the team in the event that he does not receive a full seat in Formula 1 by the end of September. Just as it is no mystery that Helmut Marko has focused on the young New Zealander – who made a positive impression in the 5 GPs he contested last year precisely to replace the injured Ricciardo – to restart his Junior Team after a period of little satisfaction. However, there is a background story that could boost Daniel’s chances of avoiding being fired during the season…
The Ricciardo-Visa backstory
According to the famous Formula 1 photographer, Kym Illman – who is Australian and has always been very close to Ricciardo – it would have been Daniel’s presence that allowed Racing Bulls to sign the generous sponsorship contract with Visa and Cash App. According to the rumours gathered by Illman, if it is true that the driver’s words seem to announce a farewell, in reality the two large American companies in the payment sector are putting into action a pressure to convince Red Bull to keep Ricciardo.
Chaos at Red Bull
The result is therefore a phase of deep uncertainty, with Ricciardo who would have returned to Australia awaiting an official communication on his future. And with Lawson convinced that he will be in the car from Austin but who however has not yet had any confirmation on this. It must also be said that a possible U-turn by Red Bull would not be anything new.given that not even two months ago Sergio Perez had obtained the confirmation despite the fact that a changeover with Ricciardo at Red Bull seemed imminent (with the promotion of Lawson to the Faenza team). Logical evolution in a phase of great internal conflicts that, among other things, are also causing the diaspora leaving Milton Keynes.
Ricciardo will not be third driver
What is certain is that, in the event of a farewell to Racing Bulls, Ricciardo himself will not accept a role as third driver: “Obviously, it was a choice that made sense last year to keep one foot in the door. The plan then was to try to return to Red Bull, but now there would be no reason to accept a reserve role. I will not start from scratch again. It is clear that it has been a difficult year and that I have not been able to demonstrate my competitiveness every weekend”.
“Maybe it’s also a question of age – Ricciardo then concluded – because at 25 it was easier than at 35, but probably the competition has also increased in level and now it is more complex for me to fight all the GPs at that level. SI’m glad I did it a while ago though and how much fun it was. For this reason I do not look back with sadness and I cannot be disappointed by the results I have achieved.”.
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