RB driver announcement soon? Daniel Ricciardo ‘pretty much telegraphed it’ on Thursday

Ted Kravitz reckons Daniel Ricciardo “telegraphed” a pending VCARB driver announcement during the Monza weekend, and it’s one that doesn’t bode well for the Honey Badger.

Returning to the Formula 1 grid last season with VCARB, Ricciardo had hoped to use his time with the junior squad as a stepping stone to return to Red Bull.

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But failing to produce the results expected of him this season where he trails Yuki Tsunoda by 12 points to 22 in the Drivers’ Championship, Ricciardo is instead facing the end of his Formula 1 career.

Red Bull have already confirmed Tsunoda for next year’s championship while Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has said, and more than once, that reserve driver Liam Lawson will “definitely” have drive.

Ricciardo though, defiantly told the media including PlanetF1.com at Monza that as long as he performs, Red Bull “won’t find a reason to do anything. And ultimately, that’s where I’ll leave it.

“I know if I perform, then I’m good. So if I focus on myself, then it shouldn’t affect me. And that’s what I’m focussing on.”

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But 72 hours later he left Monza without a single point on the board as he finished the race in 13th place having incurred two penalties.

The first was his own doing as he was penalised for squeezing Nico Hulkenberg off the circuit while the second was the result of one of his mechanics touching the car as he served that initial penalty.

Instead of a much-needed boost, Kravitz reckons VCARB could announce even before the next race in Baku that Ricciardo is out and that Lawson will instead partner Yuki Tsunoda next season.

“Are we going to have a driver announcement at RB before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in a couple of weeks time?” he said in his post-race Ted’s Notebook. “We’re all expecting it.

“Daniel Ricciardo pretty much telegraphed it on Thursday.

“And is that driver announcement going to be that Liam Lawson will partner Yuki Tsunoda at RB next year? That’s what everybody is expecting.”

Red Bull had another look at Lawson at Monza this week when the Kiwi took part in a tyre test with Pirelli where he covered 104 laps in the Red Bull RB20.

Ricciardo’s options for a F1 2025 seat will be sorely limited if he does leave VCARB as only Audi still have an open seat. They, however, already have a long short-list.

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