Ricciardo: 'Still quite early' to discuss new Red Bull deal

Daniel Ricciardo feels it is "still quite early" to think about his future in Formula 1 with Red Bull beyond the end of his existing contract in 2018 despite seeing teammate Max Verstappen commit to a new, long-term deal.

Both Red Bull drivers were due to be out of contract at the end of next season, only for the team to announce on Friday ahead of the United States Grand Prix that Verstappen had put pen to paper on a new contract taking him up to the 2020 season.

Ricciardo is one of the leading drivers without a firm deal for 2019 when every team on the F1 grid has a seat free, sparking speculation he could be in line for a move to either Ferrari or Mercedes.

"To be honest, it’s not that I’ve said no to anything. It’s just still quite early I think," Ricciardo said when asked why he was yet to sign a new Red Bull contract.

"People talked a little bit about contracts and the silly season for next year, but I thought [Verstappen signing] would still happen next year. It’s still quite early.

"Obviously it’s not really got anything to do with me, but if I’m to try and extract some positives out of his news it’s that it gives us good confidence for next year. He and his management see a lot of positives in the team to continue like that.

"I’m 100 per cent here next year, I can at least say that, and I think it gives both of us confidence that we’ll keep progressing the way we are."

Red Bull said in its announcement it envisaged building the team around 20-year-old Verstappen in the future, but Ricciardo did not take this as a slight against his standing with the team, stressing he has never felt unfairly treated.

"For sure, as far as media goes, he certainly gets a lot of attention and that - not that I’m trying to take that away, that’s just how it works," Ricciardo said.

"He’s broken records for his age and things like that, so rightly so.

"But yeah, take the media out of it, as far as inside the team, new parts on the car, things like this, there’s always been parity.

"As far as I’m concerned, it's a bit of media stuff but not anything internal. That’s fine, I have no concerns with that."