In the world of Formula 1, Daniel Ricciardo’s current situation can be summed up as a weekend of rare competitive success overshadowed by public criticism from Jacques Villeneuve and the announcement of Yuki Tsunoda’s new contract. It was expected that Tsunoda would continue driving for the RB team in 2025 due to his impressive performance this season and Red Bull’s contractual option on him for next year. While there were rumors of Tsunoda moving to another team, it seems he will stay with Red Bull for another season, which is well-deserved.
However, the future of Ricciardo remains uncertain. There has been no news about his future yet, even though Red Bull is believed to have an option on him for 2025, similar to Tsunoda. Instead, Ricciardo continues to face criticism from Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor, who has been highlighting his underwhelming performances this year. Sky Sports F1 pundit Villeneuve also joined in the criticism, dismissing the excuses made for Ricciardo and suggesting that he should leave if he can’t perform at a high level.
Many people may agree with Villeneuve’s remarks, considering Ricciardo’s disappointing stint with McLaren, his inconsistent performance in 2023, and how he has been outperformed by Tsunoda in 2024. However, Villeneuve’s dismissal of Ricciardo’s past successes, including his strong seasons with Red Bull and Renault, was ignorant and unfair. Although those successes may not justify keeping Ricciardo on the grid now, Villeneuve should be held accountable for his inaccuracies.
Despite the criticism, it is clear that Ricciardo has not lived up to his own standards for quite some time. While off-track factors played a role in Red Bull’s decision to sign him again after his time with McLaren, the “old Ricciardo” that they believed in has not consistently shown up. Tsunoda’s contract renewal is a vote of confidence in his abilities, but Ricciardo cannot take his position at Red Bull for granted. He needs to focus on proving himself and securing his future with the team.
Although Ricciardo has shown some progress throughout this season, he acknowledges that he needs to do more. The disrupted Canada weekend presents an opportunity for him to perform well, as he showed competitiveness in the final practice session. However, he needs to translate that into a strong qualifying performance and race result. Even then, it would only be one weekend of evidence in his favor, which is not enough to make a convincing argument for his return to his pre-McLaren form.
The crucial question is how much time Ricciardo has to turn things around. While there is no rush to make a decision, Red Bull has previously made it clear that they are in a “use him or lose him” situation with reserve driver Liam Lawson in 2025. If they want to give Lawson a seat in F1, Ricciardo is the one who could be replaced.
Ricciardo is now being overshadowed by Lawson, a young driver who has proven himself capable in F1 through his stand-in appearances last year when Ricciardo was injured. The longer Ricciardo’s form remains underwhelming, the more of a threat Lawson becomes. With Tsunoda’s confirmation, Red Bull’s only option to accommodate Lawson’s aspirations would be to let go of Ricciardo.