“I Don’t Need Number 1 Status” – Ricciardo

Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo is slowly beginning to realise that he is more likely to stay put at Red Bull.

“Not every door is closed, but it’s looking more and more likely that the other top teams will probably remain with their line ups,” he said.

“I don’t have the facts on that but you can just kind of read between the lines and you feel that that is probably going to remain,” he added.

“So obviously if it wasn’t Red Bull then they are the other two most attractive options, so if they are not possible, then for me now it is hard to be convinced that another option is better than Red Bull. So I’m just making sure that I’m right with my judgments.”

While there were fears that Red Bull may be making a big mistake in dropping Renault for Honda. Some felt that the team’s bias towards Max Verstappen could be another obstacle in influencing Ricciardo’s decision.

However, the Australian has insisted that he does not see himself as the number 1 driver.

“I don’t want that,” he said. “Not that I don’t want that… I don’t need that.”

However, he has admitted that there have been little things that have given him doubts. He would love to take the time to address the issues.

“Obviously Max is driving well, but I genuinely think, there have been things every weekend since Monaco, which have just been a bit of a disruption or a bit of bad luck, like the front wing and all that with Paul Ricard, and the DRS at Silverstone.”

Next week, the F1 teams head to Hockenheim for the German Grand Prix. It could likely be the last German GP, given their issues in recent years. However, Liberty Media will be gunning to retain the GP.