Daniel Ricciardo insists he will remain a part of the Red Bull Racing team for at least the next two seasons despite the temptation of the vacant Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team ride for 2017.
Valtteri Bottas is the odds-on favourite to replace Nico Rosberg, with his Williams Martini Racing team have already asked Felipe Massa to remain in the team should the Finn depart. Mercedes-protégé Pascal Wehrlein, who raced for Manor Racing MRT in 2016 and was an important test driver for Mercedes, is also in contention, but Ricciardo has ruled himself out.
The popular Australian has two years left on his contract with the Milton Keynes-based squad, and although admitting that the chance to replace Rosberg in the championship winning Mercedes-squad would be a great opportunity for whoever gets it, he is not looking to be the one to move into the ride.
“I’ve got two more years at Red Bull, that’s where I’m going to be,” said Ricciardo to the Australian Associated Press. “There’s a lot of people that are tempted to jump into that [Mercedes] seat.
“I just hope whoever gets it appreciates it – it’s a damn good one. But for me, you’ll see me in a Red Bull [at Melbourne].”
