Daniel Ricciardo receives potential RB boost with F1 2025 driver options addressed
Daniel Ricciardo is smiling in the RB garage.
Empty seats are dwindling ahead of Formula 1’s upcoming 2025 season, raising key concerns about where Team RB driver Daniel Ricciardo may end up. He and teammate Yuki Tsunoda were strong contenders for Sergio Perez’s Red Bull seat until the Mexican driver signed a two-year deal.
Thankfully, RB CEO Peter Bayer is “very happy” with both of his current drivers. In the team press conference ahead of May’s Grand Prix in Imola, Bayer expressed optimism about the growth and potential of both Ricciardo and Tsunoda, and that they aren’t “wasting time” discussing future options.
Daniel Ricciardo: a wealth of value
The Visa Cash App RB team, previously known as AlphaTauri and before that, Toro Rosso, is one of the last teams yet to finalize its 2025 F1 lineup. This puts them in the same category as other teams like Haas and Alpine.
Part of this likely comes down to the fact that both RB drivers were thought to be under consideration for Sergio Perez’s Red Bull seat. Further, RB boss Laurent Mekies exclusively told PlanetF1 that the team is under no rush to sign any contracts.
“As much as we acknowledge the fact that it seems to be a big topic out there, from our perspectives it’s far too early for us to think about that,” Mekies said, regarding the question of driver lineups.
Bayer mirrored the same sentiment in Imola, stating, “We are genuinely pleased with both of our drivers. Truthfully, we are not spending time discussing ‘what ifs’ and ‘whens.’ Our team is strong, our reserve driver is excellent, and we have outstanding talent emerging from F2, F3.”
Rather, RB is primarily concentrating on enhancing its performance to rival competitors such as Aston Martin.
That being said, Mekies referred to the Tsunoda/Ricciardo pairing as “huge luck” in an exclusive interview with PlanetF1 before further elaborating on the qualities that makes Ricciardo such a great fit for RB.
“Daniel specifically, in the context of the projects, where the team needs to go and helping identify the gaps, it hugely helps to have somebody like Daniel that won eight races, has been at a few teams and knows where the board can be and where the board needs to go,” Mekies said. And while Ricciardo may have struggled to come to grips with the 2024 car, Mekies praised the Australian’s ability to work hard for performance without being “emotional” about any lack of progress. Those are all ideal qualities for a driver in a team like RB — one that can use level-headed feedback and a strong dedication to making change.
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Things aren’t all bad for Yuki Tsunoda, though. The Japanese driver may have spent his first few years in F1 learning to control his temper and his race craft — but now, Peter Bayer is impressed.
“During the team press conference before Imola, Bayer expressed his belief that Tsunoda has significantly improved. He attributed this progress not only to physical preparation but also to Tsunoda’s mental readiness to perform and deliver,” Bayer said.
I mentioned an example the other day. I believe he realized that every time he swore on the radio, it would cost him a fraction of his reputation. Consequently, he has managed to control himself. He exhibits extreme professionalism in his interactions with engineers and his feedback. There’s no doubt that he has significantly improved.
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