Ricciardo Wants New Contract To Match 'Value,' Red Bull Advisor Sends Warning

Daniel Ricciardo’s contract saga looks to be finally nearing its end after Australian confirmed he expects the talks to ramp up in the next fortnight during the upcoming Austrian and British Grand Prix weekends.

The Red Bull Racing driver is out of contract at the end of the current campaign and is yet to reveal his plans for the 2019 season — it is a question that has been asked of him since the opening race in Australia.

Ricciardo made it clear he wants to drive for a team that can offer him a car that is capable of challenging for the title, and his options on that front are limited with Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull being the only three teams capable of achieving that — more so the former two, who are currently battling for the title, with the latter also in with a chance.

He recently added to his demands and admitted he wants a contract that matches the value he can add to a team, which Ricciardo believes he has attained since making his debut eight years back. The Australian has won seven races in his career thus far and has shown he can cut it with the best.

"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," Ricciardo said ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, as quoted on Sky Sports.

"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 [Hamilton] 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,” the Australian added.

And according to Motorsport.com, Ricciardo is close to agreeing to a new deal to remain with the Red Bull team beyond the 2018 season after seeing his opportunity to join Mercedes or Ferrari disappear in recent weeks.

The Silver Arrows team are expected to retain their current driver lineup of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, with Esteban Ocon said to be the alternative choice if the Finn is not handed a new deal. While Ferrari are expected to partner Sebastian Vettel with either current teammate Kimi Raikkonen or promote rising star Charles Leclerc, who has impressed with an underperforming Sauber in his debut season.

This leaves Ricciardo short of options with the only other alternatives being McLaren and the Renault works team. Both those teams are well behind Red Bull in terms of competitiveness and it is unlikely he will decide to join either.

The Australian’s current position saw the Red Bull team’s advisor Helmut Marko warn him they will not cede to his every demand, especially on the financial side as Ricciardo is hoping to reduce the pay parity with his much younger teammate Max Verstappen, who signed a lucrative deal last year.

Marko believes Ricciardo read the situation wrong and is now backed into a corner where Red Bull is the best option after Mercedes and Ferrari closed their doors over a potential move.

"Mercedes and Ferrari have a number one driver who is clearly declared,” Marko said, as quoted on Motorsport.com. "I know Ricciardo did not receive an offer from Ferrari. ... Renault will, as far as I know, stay with the current drivers. Above all, I don't think Renault is playing in the budget regions that Ricciardo has in mind."

"Daniel is in a situation where he has no sporting alternative to us. He probably imagined it differently,” he added. "We want it [to continue with Ricciardo], but not at any price.”