Daniel Ricciardo will compete in a home race in Australia this weekend and the 34-year-old admits it could be his last. The eight-time Grand Prix winner has an expiring contract with Visa Cash App RB and the Australian still has to convince Red Bull to extend it.
After an anything but positive start to 2024, Ricciardo could use a good result and what better place to do that than in front of his own audience? The Australian believes in his chances and Max Verstappen’s former teammate reveals his target for next weekend in Melbourne. “Hopefully, if everything goes smoothly this weekend, I believe we can finish in the top ten,” an optimistic Ricciardo told The Herald Sun, as quoted by Motorsport.com. ‘I want to try to get the first points on behalf of the team. Of course, a result among the top ten does not sound like a very high goal, but the field is so competitive that I would be happy if I can get some points on Sunday,” said Ricciardo.
Last Australian GP for Ricciardo?
After poor races in Bahrain and especially Saudi Arabia, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently increased the pressure on Ricciardo. The eighty-year-old Austrian expects more from the Australian, especially if he is still thinking about a seat at the big Red Bull. If the 34-year-old does not improve, it could well be that Ricciardo will drive his last home race in Formula 1 next weekend. Moreover, his contract expires at the end of the season. “You cannot look too far ahead and predict what will happen or what could happen,” says the eight-time GP winner. ‘I now drive with the mentality that every weekend counts and I do my best, hopefully the fans can appreciate that.’
The feeling that the coming races could be his last is not new for Ricciardo. In 2022, his last year at McLaren, he thought much the same. “I thought about it in 2022, when the contract with McLaren was terminated,” the RB driver reveals. ‘I then wondered: will the coming races be my last? I was having a bad year at the time and I wasn’t really sure about it. I thought, maybe I don’t like it as much as I used to. Maybe this was it. I certainly thought about that. I’m sure there may not be that many years left in it. I approach every year a bit as if it could be the last,” said Ricciardo.
