Daniel Ricciardo says he’s facing a self-imposed two races to secure his future in F1, describing Sunday’s Hungarian GP and next weekend’s event at Spa as potentially the most important races in his career.
The RB charger was off to a good start on Saturday when he made the top-ten shootout and qualified ninth, having also topped the opening segment of the session despite the tricky track conditions.
Ricciardo even felt that he could have concluded his session higher up the pecking order and stolen a match on the Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll without the disruptive red flag that was triggered by his RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda late in Q3.
“I definitely feel like we would have had something for the Aston's without the red in Q3,” commented the Aussie.
“I don't know if we would have got Fernando or what, but I definitely think we would have been in the fight.
“It's been solid and I feel like there's still a little bit left on the table, just with circumstances.”
With rumors persisting on Sergio Perez’s future at Red Bull Racing after the Mexican’s crash in Q1, Ricciardo’s solid display will have reminded the Milton Keynes-based outfit’s top brass that he’s still a viable contender for Perez’s seat should a change be decided.
A switch to Red Bull is perhaps unlikely for Ricciardo, but the 35-year-old is determined to give it his all, aware of what’s also at stake for next season.
©RB
“I haven't been told anything but I've told myself ‘fucking do it, go fast, you've got two races to give it a whirl',” he admitted.
“And that's honestly not even with the idea of moving up, it's even just trying to lock something in for next year.
“So I intentionally came into this weekend telling myself that these two races could be sort of the most important of my, not only season, but potentially career.
“They haven't specifically said anything to me, but I've said enough to myself.”
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