Ricciardo can only gain for 2019 contract
Daniel Ricciardo has said that he can only gain as he is getting ready to sign a contract for 2019.
The Red Bull driver is only contracted until the end of the 2018 season. He is not only the hottest driver on the market but also a key player in the market.
There have been rumours of him going to Mercedes, Ferrari or even Mclaren lately, but he does also have the choice to stay with RedBull who are switching to Honda power next year.
Ricciardo admitted over the French Grand Prix weekend that contract talks are expected to be ramped up this week as he makes what he believes is the second biggest decision of his career.
Ricciardo believes he has little to lose with his next deal regardless of the decision he makes.
“The only way my career takes a step back is if I stop performing,” he reasoned.
“Obviously if I just came off three world titles and gone to a team that’s only coming fifth, that’s probably a step back.
“But because I’ve been floating around that top three, top five mark for the last few years, there’s probably not really a step to take back unless I stop performing.
“So I don’t really fear that; for me, there’s only something to gain, I’ve just got to figure out what place that is to make that gain.”
Heading into the French Grand Prix last weekend it was reported that McLaren had offered a deal worth $20 million a year.
Money that sizeable would rank him among Formula Ones’s top earners, Ricciardo is interested in more than just money.
“I said it from the start, the priority is to try and get a car that can win a world title because I really believe I can, so that’s the first thing in my mind,” he explained.
“If there was absolutely no possibility then you look into other things, but I think as a driver I think I’ve done enough now.
“Even Lewis touched on it, and I didn’t even need to really say it, your value as a driver is not ‘X’ amount of money, it’s just what you feel your value is and what you bring to the sport.
“I feel I hold a certain value so I just want to at least match that with my expectations and what also people value me as.”
Ricciardo’s next contract could be the one that gives him a real shot at the world title he still suggests the decision to chase his F1 dream was a far bigger call.
“The most difficult was leaving Australia and actually going to Europe when I still didn’t know what my talent was,” he said.
“I didn’t really believe that I was good enough, so that was probably a trickier decision.
“So this will probably be the second-biggest. It’s big enough”
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