- Ricciardo finished ninth at the Austrian GP
- He says he is proud of his performance
- He has been under immense pressure.
Daniel Ricciardo was all smiles after his performance at the Austrian Grand Prix following a week of turmoil that suggested his Formula One future was in serious jeopardy.
Ricciardo, 34, finished ninth in his Visa Cash App RB, marking his second points finish in his last three races.
The Australian is under scrutiny after Red Bull boss Helmut Marko conducted an interview with Austrian publication Kleine Zeitung in which he said talks were underway to give his seat to Liam Lawson.
However, with his recent performances Ricciardo believes he has found the form he was looking for.
“I feel like it’s three weeks in a row now that I’ve gotten the most out of this,” he said.
‘I’m still looking for a little more perfection, but yes, three in a row.
‘At least I can say that I left the paddock on a Sunday three weekends in a row and I feel proud.
“We just have to keep going like this.”
Daniel Ricciardo (in the photo) was happy with his performance in the Austrian GP
Ricciardo’s Formula One career has been in serious danger after an irregular season
Ricciardo had a defensive, error-free race in Austria, and the Australian feels this has helped his cause with Marko.
“I’ve known Helmut for a long time and at the end of the day he doesn’t care about personality,” Ricciardo explained.
‘All he cares about is the stopwatch and the classification. He’s a racer and that’s all he wants to see from us.
“That can make him suddenly stop thinking well of me.
“I think this weekend has helped,” he continued.
“As I said, he’s a bit more consistent now so just keep going like this and hopefully by the summer break he’ll be lying on a beach somewhere saying ‘Ricciardo, he’s still got it’.”
Red Bull boss Helmet Marko says youngster Liam Lawson is in line to take Ricciardo’s seat
Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer was also impressed with Ricciardo’s race in Austria.
“I think Ricciardo has been doing well,” he said on F1 TV.
‘When you think about Canada, two races ago he qualified fifth. He got some points even though he received a penalty for dragging at the beginning. It wasn’t long ago that he had Miami’s heroics in the sprint.
“Every time he doesn’t do well, it’s news now because he’s under pressure, but he’s actually been low-key and he’s gotten some results recently.
“He’s very inconsistent and we talk about him more when he’s down than when he’s going through the good times. Again, I picked up some points by beating Yuki (Tsunoda) this weekend. I think he’s doing some good for his future right now.”