In the wake of his remarkable win in Monaco this past weekend, Daniel Ricciardo is again being warned off looking away from Red Bull for a seat in 2019.
It was another example of the Australian proving why he is the team’s most dependable asset as, while teammate Max Verstappen binned it in final practice, Ricciardo would claim his second pole in Monte Carlo before overcoming an engine problem to finally get closure on his 2016 loss by winning on Sunday.
Comparisons have been made between his race and Michael Schumacher having only fifth gear during the 1994 Spanish GP with Red Bull boss Christian Horner explaining just some of the challenges the 28-year-old faced.
“They were telling me on the intercom ‘We’re going to have to retire the car in one or two laps’, but I said we’re in the lead of the Monaco Grand Prix, we’re keeping going,” he revealed.
“He’d lost about 25 percent of the power of the engine, and then, because of the way these engines work, his rear brake temperatures are going through the roof.
“He’s having to cool the brakes, cool the car, he’s having to lift off to do that, he’s got Sebastian Vettel breathing down his neck, he cannot make a mistake, he’s dealing with all the stuff he has to manage and he totally nailed it.
“You can hear his composure in the car when something goes wrong, there’s no panic, no raise of voices, ‘What can I do, what can I play with here’. He worked it out,” the Briton added.
“I can’t praise him enough for this victory, especially after 2016 when obviously it was a disastrous race for him. For him to win this Grand Prix today I’m really proud of him.”
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Unsurprisingly, after such a performance, questions over what this will mean for his future, with Mercedes and Ferrari still viable options for next year.
“I’m not sure whether his price has gone up or if his love for the team has gone up, probably both,” Horner claimed.
“I’ve made it clear all along that we want to keep Daniel. He’s now won the same amount of races as Lewis and Sebastian in this championship, and obviously he could have done more in Bahrain and Baku.
“Still a long long way to go, and we’ve got a great racing car!”
Motorsport advisor Helmut Marko was also asked his view, maintaining the same argument Red Bull have put forward throughout.
“What should he do at Mercedes or Ferrari? Play the number two role?” he asked. “Because Raikkonen next to Vettel and Bottas at Mercedes next to Hamilton are clear number two drivers. You can see that.
“With us, Daniel would have equal opportunities. With the same material. No team order. I think he knows this too.”