Sky Sports F1's Ted Kravitz makes Red Bull demand as Daniel Ricciardo faces axe again

The Singapore Grand Prix may prove to be Daniel Ricciardo's final Formula 1 race with Red Bull considering replacing him with reserve Liam Lawson for the next event in Austin

Ted Kravitz has implored Red Bull to "be straight" with Daniel Ricciardo as the Australian fights for his Formula 1 future.

Ricciardo has spent much of the season with the threat of the axe hanging above his head. Before the summer break Sergio Perez was the one closest to being given his P45 by Red Bull.

But the F1 champions plan to decide after the Singapore Grand Prix whether or not to replace Ricciardo with reserve driver Liam Lawson. And he did himself no favours by qualifying down in 16th at Marina Bay, as his F1 career threatens to fizzle out.

Ricciardo has faced a barrage of questions about his situation this weekend and has made it clear he is in the dark about whether or not he will still be on the grid at next month's United States Grand Prix. And Kravitz is not convinced that is the right approach from Red Bull.

Speaking on his Ted's Notebook programme on Sky Sports F1 after qualifying in Singapore, Kravitz voiced his concerns about the way Red Bull have treated their under pressure racer. He told the team to "be straight" with the Aussie as he said: "So the sad case really is Daniel Ricciardo, who looks like we are saying goodbye to in Formula 1.

"But no-one is giving Danny Ricciardo a straight answer whether he should be celebrating and commemorating, because this might be his last qualifying in F1 ever and it might be his last race in F1 ever. He's not being treated in a straight way, he might reflect at the moment. Because is it his last race? Maybe if he finishes on the podium, maybe it's not.

"Christian Horner talking about it's natural that you assess your driver options. Is it? Difficult decisions have to be made. Do they? I mean, if you are going to dump him, just tell him. Maybe they have told him, but maybe he can't be straight with the rest of us, but it looks like he's in this sort of limbo.

"If he does know, Daniel, then I hope he enjoys his weekend. If he does know and he can't tell us, then I hope he enjoys his weekend. If it turns out to be his last. But they can't keep him on the end of a string. 'Oh, you know, maybe we'll get you back to the last race'.

"Will they, having given a few races to Liam Lawson? Okay, but be straight with him. It's never the impact is it? It's the way people communicate things. You know, your train is late or your flight is cancelled, it's never the fact that these things happen, you know these things happen.

"Daniel might say, 'Alright, maybe I'm not as quick as I was, you're going to get rid of me. I know you're going to get rid of me - that's Formula 1, it's the way you communicate it'. Always. In Formula 1, just as if your train is late."

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