Daniel Ricciardo Running Out of Options

The past few months have been filled with speculation on where Daniel Ricciardo will be moving come 2019. Currently out of contract, his plans for 2019 and beyond have been leading towards a move to either Ferrari or Mercedes.

Ricciardo said previously that he would be seeking a two-year deal to carry him through to 2021 when the Formula would be completely revised. It has since emerged that the Australian is very close to signing a new deal with Red Bull, and online betting enthusiasts are keeping a close eye on any new developments that may affect the way they wager.

Some believe it is the fact that the team plan to move from Renault to Honda engines while others feel he is simply running out of reasonable options. It is no secret that Ricciardo was waiting to see if an opportunity would arise in Ferrari or the Mercedes outfit. However, the world champion along with Valtteri Bottas are more than likely going to be handed deals for Mercedes. Ferrari have Sebastian Vettel who will either be partnered with Kimi Raikkonen or with Charles Leclerc.

Speaking to the press, Ricciardo said it was looking more and more likely that he would remain with Red Bull, although there still hasn’t been anything signed as yet. He said he is still trying to get a few things sorted.

While he admitted that not every door is closed to him at this point, it is looking more likely that the other big teams will be keeping their current line-up. Ricciardo said that while he doesn’t have facts on it himself, you can pretty much read between the lines and feel that they are going to stick with what they have. His choices, other than Red Bull would naturally have been Ferrari and Mercedes.

If joining Ferrari or Mercedes is not an option, it would be hard to convince him that there is better fit other than sticking with Red Bull. He went on to say that he is making sure he is clear on his judgments and making the right choice.

Ricciardo a Threat to Vettel and Hamilton?

Both Hamilton and Vettel have previously suggested they would be perfectly happy with any teammate. At the same time, they are happy with how things are at the moment within their teams. It has been suggested that Ricciardo is too quick for Hamilton or Vettel to want them in their team. Ricciardo joked about the comment, saying that he has been trying to convince them that he is not that good and it was all about the car, since winning pole position in Monaco.

His case could be made quite strongly in fact. The Australian has been outraced and out-qualified by teammate Max Verstappen ever since his triumph in Monte Carlo. Ricciardo lacked any sort of pace in Canada, then picked up wing damage in France, got a raw deal in Austria before having mechanical failure the next day. At the British GP, he picked up a problem in qualifying where he couldn’t use his DRS system. He did admit that his teammate is driving well at the moment, but for Ricciardo, there has just been one thing after another ever since Monaco.