Daniel Ricciardo at the heart of the transfer market

This is a question that will come up many times in the months to come, but the first press conference of the year was the perfect setting to discuss the subject: where does Daniel Ricciardo stand with his contract negotiations?

The FIA had further favored the subject by summoning it at the same time as Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. However, Mercedes and Ferrari are precisely the two alternatives available to the Australian driver if he didn’t want to stay with Red Bull.

When asked about the subject, Lewis Hamilton even allowed himself to give some advice to his opponent who could become his teammate: I would just say that it’s important to look at what drivers have said in the past and try not to alienate the team you’re in. It’s natural to want to experience something new in another team, but there are a lot of people in our teams, and it’s really important to encourage them and ensure they remain focused on you as a driver, to help you achieve your goals.

The four-time world champion thus did not fail to criticize some of his opponents regarding the way some have handled their transfers: “There are some drivers who have recently made bad decisions by upsetting the team and making waves. He is still in a very good team. I think Red Bull clearly has a chance to fight for the championship.”

It is interesting to see that Lewis Hamilton is speaking about Daniel Ricciardo’s future but not at all about his own. Yet, during last month’s winter testing, he had indicated that his own negotiations with Mercedes were going well and that he hoped to make an announcement before Melbourne. Clearly, that hasn’t been the case. The Briton is also certainly waiting to assess the real competitiveness of his team before committing again to Mercedes.

Sebastian Vettel, who has secured his future with Ferrari until 2020, did not express overwhelming enthusiasm at the idea of reuniting with the person he was with during his last season at Red Bull: “We only spent one year together. I knew him before, and we had a season together that wasn’t great for me but was very good for him. Nevertheless, we got along well, and it wouldn’t be an issue if we were together again in the future, but I don’t know his plans…”

The main party then limited himself to simply asking for six months before finalizing his decision. By then, we will have played most of the season, and everyone will have a clear idea of each other’s performance levels and, above all, the dynamics for the future.

With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr