Ricciardo wants two-year deal because of F1 uncertainty
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[April 18, 2018]
LONDON (Reuters) - Daniel
Ricciardo says he does not want his next Formula One contract to tie
him down for the next four years due to the uncertainty over the
sport's future and instead wants to sign a two-year deal.
The 28-year-old Australian, winner in China at the weekend and one
of the hottest properties on the market, is out of contract with Red
Bull at the end of the year.
"I don't want to sign anything too long because I don't know where
the sport's going," The Times newspaper quoted him as saying on
Wednesday.
"I feel like life is happening pretty fast. Each year something
might change so I don't want to tie myself down for four more years
and then I'm like, 'I don't want to do this any more'.
"Ideally I'd sign a two-year contract. I think two years I can
definitely be comfortable with and then see it from there," he
added. "That third year will be the rule change so I will probably
wait and see what happens then."
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Formula One's current engine regulations last only to the end of
2020, when team agreements also expire, and the sport is deciding
how the future should look and what kind of engines will be used.
Ferrari have already warned that they could walk away if they do not
like what is on offer.
Red Bull could have a new engine partner as early as next season,
with the team weighing up whether to stay with Renault or switch to
the improving Honda units used by their Toro Rosso team.
Mercedes have yet to announce a new deal for four times world
champion Lewis Hamilton, who is also out of contract at the end of
this season and has said he wants to see what the future holds
before committing.
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Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo celebrates with a trophy on the podium
after winning the race REUTERS/Aly Song
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While Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull's Max Verstappen have
long-term deals, there is uncertainty about the futures of Kimi
Raikkonen at Ferrari and Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes.
Ricciardo would be a strong replacement for either but the
Australian told the newspaper that neither team had been in touch so
far.
"I kind of feel like if they want me to race for them they should
contact me, but they haven't," he said.
Ricciardo has said consistently since last year that he just wants
to be in the fastest car and would be happy to stay at Red Bull if
they can provide it.
"If we win this year then I'm staying with Red Bull. It's pretty
simple," he said. "It's really just about performance at the
moment."
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Peter Rutherford)
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