Daniel Ricciardo brutally honest on the threat of F1 career ending soon
“I don't even take it race by race. I take it session by session."
Daniel Ricciardo insists he is taking his current F1 career “session by session” as the threat looms that his days may be numbered.
Red Bull’s decision to stick with Sergio Perez in the second half of this year ended any remaining hope that Ricciardo had of replacing him.
Ricciardo was, in turn, confirmed as continuing in his RB for the rest of this season despite the highly-rated Liam Lawson waiting in the wings.
But Ricciardo, unlike teammate Yuki Tsunoda, doesn’t have a contract for next season yet.
"It's not like I have an 'I don't care' approach,” he told Motorsport.
“But my perspective is that all this now is a bonus because I really thought at the end of 2022 maybe I would never race Formula 1 again.
"So, to have this second chance, if there is going to be some pressure then okay, let's take it on.
“Nothing can really hurt me anymore.
"I can't control anything that's going to happen. I can control what happens on track.
“I don't even take it race by race. I take it session by session."
Ricciardo entered this year as the overwhelming favourite to replace Perez at Red Bull.
That’s because Christian Horner was influential in bringing the exiled Ricciardo back onto the F1 grid last year at the midway point, with AlphaTauri.
He had previously been surprisingly axed by McLaren after a disappointing stint alongside Lando Norris.
But Ricciardo’s form this season has rarely suggested he would be a significant upgrade on Perez in the Red Bull.
The highlights have been, after a chassis change in China, a P4 in the sprint at the Miami Grand Prix and then qualifying fifth for the Canadian Grand Prix.
But he has attracted critics too.
Alan Jones, the ex-F1 champ who is also from Australia, claimed his countryman’s best days behind the wheel were over.
Ricciardo finished 10th in Belgium before the summer break.
