Daniel Ricciardo insists he is not setting any deadlines by which he wants his post-2018 future sorted, acknowledging his next contract decision is the “most important” of his Formula 1 career.
The Australian is weighing up a plethora of different factors as he considers whether to remain at Red Bull for another three years, mainly whether the Milton Keynes outfit will be in a position to fight for championships and if he will be guaranteed equal treatment alongside the growing presence of Max Verstappen.
Seats at both Ferrari and Mercedes are available and there is the potential of teams like McLaren and Renault to consider but with this next contract likely to see Ricciardo through the prime of his time on the grid, he wants to make sure he gets it right.
“I’m 29 next year and the next deal will take me into my 30s, so it’s not like I’m the young unproven kid who’ll sign anything just to get on the grid, or at the other end of my career when I’m hanging on and doing things year by year,” he told the Red Bull website. “I don’t ever want to get to that stage, I can’t see myself being that guy.
“You look at Lewis [Hamilton] and when he did his Mercedes deal, he was the same age as I am now if I remember correctly. He was already doing very well where he was, but his career has really taken off since then. So, there’s a lot to consider.”
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner is staunchly trying to commit Ricciardo until at least 2020 at the team and has tried to do so by insisting he would get the same chance as Verstappen, whereas he might not against Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel.
The five-time Grand Prix winner is taking all the comments on board but says there won’t be any rash decisions made.
“So where do things stand? The short answer is that there’s absolutely no rush, and things can take as long as they take – I’m not setting a deadline for anyone else’s sake, or just to get it done for me,” he said.
“I’m not just going to settle on something because I want it to be off my mind because there’s a lot at stake. It’s a big decision for me, so if I need to take time to make it, I will.
“I’m planning on being in the sport for a long while yet, but in saying that, if I was to sign, say, a three-year deal, that’s a big chunk of the next part of my career. I need to get it right, so it’s a big call – the most important one for me yet, I think. I’ll take as much time as I need to. It’s not going to be a distraction.”
