Ricciardo has 'upper hand' for Red Bull move
'Right now he (Ricciardo) has the upper hand, which we have seen in Barcelona' - Franz Tost
May 15 (GMM) The signs are growing ever stronger than Daniel Ricciardo is a real candidate to replace his Australian countryman Mark Webber at Red Bull next year.
"I was waiting for one of these questions!" the 23-year-old, acknowledging the rumours, said last weekend in Barcelona whilst flashing one of his characteristic grins.
Some think Kimi Raikkonen is a much stronger contender for Webber's 2014 seat, but it should be remembered that Toro Rosso exists to feed drivers to its energy drink owner's main team.
So Ricciardo, racing alongside Jean-Eric Vergne at present, looks the strongest contender to be fed into Red Bull Racing since Sebastian Vettel a few years ago.
"Ideally for me I'd love to get the Red Bull Racing seat one day, and to sort of really complete their programme," he told Melbourne radio SEN on Wednesday.
"Everyone's always watching -- I'm always trying to make sure I'm turning a few heads. Red Bull for me has created a massive opportunity," Ricciardo added.
Franz Tost, Ricciardo's Toro Rosso boss, admitted on Wednesday that - weighing up Ricciardo versus Frenchman Vergne - it is the young Australian closest to making the move to Red Bull.
"Right now he (Ricciardo) has the upper hand, which we have seen in Barcelona," the Austrian told F1's official website.
"But that is a snapshot right now. Generally I would say that both would fit into the Red Bull concept."
Share Or Save This Story
The season is still very long - Rosberg
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Daniel Ricciardo shares heartfelt message after first Indy 500 visit brought back "childhood feelings"
Lando Norris reunites with Daniel Ricciardo for Indy 500 celebrations after disastrous Canadian GP
Daniel Ricciardo says life feels "more real" after abrupt F1 exit
Max Verstappen laughs off Malaysian heat concerns: "Months of preparation to not give an F!"
What the drivers are expecting from F1's return to Sepang
The hidden F1 performance differentiator nobody is talking about in 2026
How to watch NASCAR at Las Vegas II: Weekend schedule, start time, entry list, TV
NASCAR shortens spoiler in new tweak to superspeedway package for Talladega
Dudu Barrichello to end 'fun year' in IMSA with outside chance at GTD title
WRC title showdown: What Evans, Pajari and Solberg need in Sardinia
The hidden F1 performance differentiator nobody is talking about in 2026
As Mercedes looks to deal F1 2026 knockout blow, will its driver fight reignite?
Top 10 F1 results changed by backmarkers – the passes
The problem with Ferrari’s endless team principal speculation
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments