Wolff confirms: 'Ricciardo is negotiating with these teams'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Daniel Ricciardo's future is still unclear. In any case, the Australian will be missing from the grid next season, but that by no means he will not be regularly in the paddock. Ricciardo is in talks to become a reserve driver. But where?
It has been rumoured for a while that Mercedes wants to sign the current McLaren driver. Last week, it was rumoured that the Australian could also return to his former team Red Bull Racing. But no one has confirmed this. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff now does.
Multiple teams
To Motorsport-Total Wolff tells us that Ricciardo is not only in talks with his Mercedes but with several teams. While talking, the Austrian explicitly mentions Red Bull as well. Wolff adds that he highly values Ricciardo as a person, but cannot yet say whether he will actually be signed for next season. An advantage him is that he has been competing in Formula 1 for a long time and knows the cars very well. But Wolff concludes by saying that he does not want to spread any further rumours and that nothing has been decided yet.
Ricciardo previously indicated he wanted to step down in 2023, only to return to the grid a year later. The chances of this being possible with Mercedes or Red Bull seem slim. Red Bull already has Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez signed, while Mercedes still has George Russell under contract. Lewis Hamilton's contract indeed expires after next season, but he is keen to continue his career.