Daniel Ricciardo has claimed it will be up to Mercedes and/ or Ferrari to make the first approach over a possible seat in 2019, as he insists no contract decision will be taken before the start of next season.
The Australian’s current contract with Red Bull expires at the end of next year and, after four years of falling short as well as the rising threat posed by teammate Max Verstappen, he is looking to secure himself a place where he can achieve his goal of becoming world champion in the prime of his career.
That’s why, despite a warning the Milton Keynes outfit won’t wait forever for his decision from Team Principal Christian Horner, who wants the 28-year-old to sign up until 2020, Ricciardo won’t be putting any pen to paper anytime soon.
“I highly, highly doubt I will be signing any dotted lines over the next month,” he said. “Unless I get a ridiculous offer, but probably not even then because right now it is not about the offer it is about who is going to have the best car in 2019. So it is worth me just seeing how the start of the year goes.
“I don’t want to be too clever and think I will have every option possible, but I have enough time on my side to still sit it out a little bit.”
The most obvious alternatives for Ricciardo are at the top two teams from last season and both have potential vacancies with Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen only on one-year deals for 2018, however, the five-time Grand Prix winner is not wanting to make the first move in any talks.
“Talking to Red Bull is easy because I know them already but the other two, if they are interested they will need to make the approach,” he claimed. “I don’t want to come across as desperate.
“I know is that there is not really any merit in me doing it now. I don’t think I will leave it late next year, for sure I’d want to know something earlier but I don’t need to do it in the winter from what I understand.”