Martin Brundle: Ricciardo a Future Mercedes Driver

Daniel Ricciardo has admitted that he ‘never seem to win boring races’. True to his word, the 2018 Shanghai Grand Prix was far from boring. Sky F1 commentator and former F1 driver Martin Brundle made a very bold claim about Ricciardo recently. He has said that Ricciardo could possibly replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.

What the Australian lacks in raw pace compared to team-mate Max Verstappen, he compromises it with a calculating mind. He has a skill set that past F1 legends would approve of. His other five victories have also been the fruit of ruthless and opportunistic moves.

Ricciardo knows that with a regular front-running car, he can challenge for the title. If Renault continue to develop, that could be a possibility in 2018. With Ferrari winning 2 races and Red Bull winning in China, it is clear that Mercedes’ stranglehold in F1 is gone, but I may be speaking too soon.

The 28-year old is out of contract for 2019, much like most of the grid. There is a possibility that if Red Bull opt to drop him, he may take over Kimi Raikkonen’s seat at Ferrari or Valtteri Bottas’ seat at Mercedes.

In China, Raikkonen was seemingly compromised by Ferrari on his strategy once again. All in favour of Sebastian Vettel gaining ground on Bottas’ Mercedes. Is Red Bull a viable option for him to explore his full potential? Or have they decided to focus their efforts on Verstappen?

Surprisingly enough, Hamilton doesn’t seem happy at Mercedes. If there is no headway in the contract negotiations, will Mercedes go for Ricciardo instead? So the big question is, how will this game of musical chairs pan out in 2019 and beyond? Will Raikkonen stick around for another year? Will Hamilton stay at Mercedes? Is Martin Brundle spot on in his prediction? So many questions and not enough answers!