Ricciardo on the Brink of Confirming His 2019 Seat

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo has been the talk of the town off late. Every driver’s decision in 2019 hinges on what Ricciardo does as he holds the key to the driver market. Now, it seems that he has set a new deadline to confirm his contract extension with Red Bull.

Ricciardo hoped to sort out his F1 future before the summer break, sadly that moment has not come to pass. Back in June, Red Bull had said that a deal with the Australian was close.

However, Ricciardo will head into the summer break without any update on his contract situation. But now, the Australian is expecting things to pick up in the month of August. As for a timeframe, confirmation could either be before or during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.

He  said that things will definitely be resolved by Spa. But he was unsure as when the announcement would be. According to him, progress is good with a few minor details being worked out.

On the other side of the Red Bull garage, teammate Max Verstappen signed a deal at the end of last year. But, so far this season, Ricciardo has been flying the Red Bull flag in the early stages of this season.

He had even entertained the thought of a move away from Red Bull. However it soon became clear that destination Mercedes or Ferrari were out of question. This meant that talks accelerated between Ricciardo and Red Bull for a new deal. Though the deadline has passed, the discussions are merely a formality as the deal is as good as done.

This new contract is rumoured to last for two years. It places Ricciardo in a position where he can choose where to go when F1 embraces a new era in 2021.

So far, he has seven race wins under his belt in four-and-a-half years with the senior team. He was more than a match for Sebastian Vettel in the former’s maiden Red Bull campaign. The 29-year old has matched Verstappen’s victory tally.