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Daniel Ricciardo considering 'other options' unless Red Bull improves
(CNN)Just days after securing his first win of the season at the Chinese Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo has cast doubt on his Red Bull future.
The Australian came from sixth on the grid to top the podium Sunday, leaving the battle for the Championship wide open, with fewer than 25 points separating the top five drivers.
Ricciardo's contract expires at the end of the season, with seats potentially opening up at both Mercedes and Ferrari.
"I definitely want to be with the best car," Ricciardo told Australian network Channel 10. "I think the weekend proved that if I've got the opportunity to win I can pull it off. I can handle that pressure and that intensity.
"If we can win a few more with Red Bull now, then that looks very attractive. If not, then I guess there are probably other options.
"I said it from the start. The win helps, but if we were finishing sixth every race this year then that is not the most attractive option to me."
Shanghai, China – An inspired Daniel Ricciardo claimed a remarkable and unexpected victory from sixth on the grid after a tactical masterstroke by his Red Bull team, with furious championship leader Vettel back in eighth place.
Melbourne, Australia - 'Lucky' Vettel wins season opener – Vettel took full advantage of a bizarre incident involving both cars of the American-owned Haas team to claim the opening race of the 2018 Formula One season in Australia.
Sakhir, Bahrain - Ferrari win soured by injured mechanic – Vettel won for the second time in as many races at the Bahrain Grand Prix. But the Italian team's victory was overshadowed after one of its mechanics suffered a broken leg when he was hit by Raikkonen's car during a pit stop.
Shanghai, China – An inspired Daniel Ricciardo claimed a remarkable and unexpected victory from sixth on the grid after a tactical masterstroke by his Red Bull team, with furious championship leader Vettel back in eighth place.
Melbourne, Australia - 'Lucky' Vettel wins season opener – Vettel took full advantage of a bizarre incident involving both cars of the American-owned Haas team to claim the opening race of the 2018 Formula One season in Australia.
Sakhir, Bahrain - Ferrari win soured by injured mechanic – Vettel won for the second time in as many races at the Bahrain Grand Prix. But the Italian team's victory was overshadowed after one of its mechanics suffered a broken leg when he was hit by Raikkonen's car during a pit stop.
Future F1 world champion?
Ricciardo, who finished fifth in the 2017 drivers' standings, has long been hailed as one of the most accomplished overtakers on the grid.
The "pass master" pulled off a total of 43 over the course of last season -- considerably more than any other driver, with 13 coming at the British Grand Prix alone.
But the fact remains he has only won six of his 82 races since joining Red Bull in 2014.
It took a major effort just to get the car ready for qualifying, after a significant engine failure during final practice led Ricciardo to believe he'd be "starting the race in 20th."
Asked if he can contend this year, the 28-year-old insisted Red Bull needs to be more consistent.
"We'll see," he told CNN from the pit lane in Shanghai. "After a day like today, you'd like to think so, but we need a few more like this."
"A week ago, I genuinely just felt heartbroken," he added, alluding to the Bahrain Grand Prix in which he was forced to retire after the first lap.
"The sport does that. I obviously try not to let it get to me. But it can get you up and down and I was pretty emotional about it."
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Red Bull boss Christian Horner was bullish about the team's chances of keeping Ricciardo.
"I think Daniel's happy in the environment," Horner told reporters. "If we can provide a car like we did [in China], why would he want to be anywhere else?"
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Ricciardo will get his next chance to prove his mettle at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku on the 29 April.
Source : https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/18/motorsport/daniel-ricciardo-red-bull-speculation-f1-spt/index.html
