Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes role ‘not the best’ for Daniel Ricciardo and reiterates plans to continue in F1

Mercedes is said to be interested in signing Daniel Ricciardo as a substitute in 2023, aiming to replace Lewis Hamilton; But Hamilton says ‘the third role is not the best’ for Ricciardo and also hinted once again he plans to race

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Lewis Hamilton will welcome Daniel Ricciardo at Mercedes but says ‘if I manage him he will race’

Lewis Hamilton has expressed doubts that Daniel Ricciardo will join Mercedes in any capacity, insisting the reserve driver role is “not the best thing” for the Australian driver, while also re-acted. that he plans to race in Formula 1 for a while.

After Ricciardo revealed he’s ready to be a sub with one of F1’s top teams in 2023 after his McLaren flip, a report in Daily mail Mercedes suggests he is keeping an eye on him, with the aim of replacing Hamilton when the seven-time world champion’s contract expires.

But when asked if Ricciardo, who will be replaced by Oscar Piastri after a poor spell at McLaren, would be a good addition to Mercedes’ reserve role, Hamilton said: “Personally, me think he should race.

“I think he’s just too talented and he’s earned his right to be among all of us racing. If he’s part of our team that would be great, but a third role isn’t really what it is. the best for him.”

Hamilton added of the eight-time race winner: “If I manage him, he’ll race.”

Sky Sports News understood that there was no continuity plan for life after Hamilton and they did not think of a succession plan.

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Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes has improved a lot as a team but will have to ‘recover as best I can from the back’ after receiving engine penalties

Hamilton, who will start behind the grid at this weekend’s Italian GP due to an engine penalty, also poured contempt on Ricciardo to replace him in 2024.

The England international, 37, has repeatedly hinted in recent months that he is considering extending his contract.

“For me, I feel healthier than ever, I feel healthy, I love what I’m doing and I don’t plan to stop anytime soon,” Hamilton announced Thursday at Monza.

“My goal has always been to stick with Mercedes – I signed with them in 1997. I like that we have the long-term partnership we have, I feel like we’re shaking hands. into a lot of really positive things, not just in sports but outside and I think there’s a lot of things that have to be accomplished together.

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Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes can’t get everything right all the time but thinks ‘second and fourth is still a real positive’ after where they started

Ricciardo: I want to race | Russell: Signing will give Merc ‘boost’

Ricciardo has long been hailed as one of F1’s best drivers, beating Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull and then challenging Max Verstappen. He’s still performing well after the shock move to Renault, but his reputation has dwindled since joining McLaren, where he was dominated by Lando Norris.

That has seen Ricciardo being terminated by McLaren in 2023, and with few competitive seats, Ricciardo has opened the door to other avenues, including a reserve role.

Ricciardo simply said “no comment” on Mercedes links, but reiterated his desire to race.

“The truth is that I am leaving all options open, not only for next year but also for the future,” he said.

“I still don’t know what next year will look like. As Lewis said before, I want to be in the grid, I want to race.

“While it was certainly a challenging time in my career, it hasn’t detracted from my love of sport and my desire to still be here and still play.”

Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes, George Russell, told reporters: “I haven’t heard any reports or heard anything but I think Daniel’s track record really speaks for itself – he He’s a driver who deserves a seat on the Formula 1 grid and it will be a reality.It’s a shame for him not to be there next season.

“But it’s clear from our side that having a driver of his caliber join the team in any capacity would be a real motivator. He’s a racer that I like a lot. I just hopefully he will stay on the grid and in sport.”