Daniel Ricciardo’s attention turns to improving his performance despite positive remarks from Red Bull CEO Peter Bayer, who expressed satisfaction with Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda during the Monaco Grand Prix.

Bayer’s remarks fueled speculation that both Tsunoda and Ricciardo might be retained for 2025, given their one-year deals. Ricciardo, who has faced challenges in 2024, saw his chances of returning to Red Bull diminish initially. However, his performances improved notably after receiving a new chassis from the Chinese Grand Prix, leading to talks of a possible contract extension.

During a post-qualifying interview in Monaco, RacingNews365 questioned Ricciardo about similar messages regarding his future within the team. “I’ll be honest, I haven’t really given it too much [thought],” Ricciardo replied. “So yes, that’s great to hear. And yes, that would be awesome. But I want to be doing better consistently.”

Despite Red Bull’s unwavering support, Ricciardo aims to elevate his performance levels and narrow the gap to rival teams. “They’ve been really, really supportive,” he acknowledged. “And obviously, they know I can do it, but it’s just been a bit more of a struggle this year to do it week in, week out.”

For Ricciardo, the immediate focus lies on extracting more performance from the car and reducing the deficit to competitors, rather than contemplating his future. “Whether that’s car or me, just, I want to be doing better,” he emphasized. “And I said I didn’t feel too bad today, but clearly it wasn’t good enough.”