Marko responds to stories that Ricciardo has been given an ultimatum

Daniel Ricciardo has not been given an ultimatum by Helmut Marko. The Austrian stated this to Motorsport-Total.com. Still, Ricciardo's departure during the season is not out of the question.

According to the New Zealand Herald, Ricciardo is said to have been given an ultimatum by Red Bull. Marko is said to have told the Visa Cash App RB driver that he must prove himself in Japan and China. If he fails to impress enough there, New Zealand driver Liam Lawson would be his replacement from the Miami Grand Prix onwards.

Marko refers the story to Motorsport-Total.com to the realm of fantasy. There would be no ultimatum for Ricciardo and the Red Bull GmbH advisor suspects that the rumours stem from the news that Ayumu Iwasa will drive in FP1 in Japan in Daniel Ricciardo's car. However, this is for a mandatory rookie test.

According to the German medium, however, it cannot be ruled out that Ricciardo may still have to leave. There would be no ultimatum for Ricciardo, but if the Australian does not show improvement soon, he could still lose his seat by the summer break. His predecessor Nyck de Vries knows all about it. He lost his seat to Ricciardo after ten Grands Prix, even before the summer break.