Daniel Ricciardo won the 2018 Monaco GP with Hamilton at third
Four-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton said that Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo is doing a great job and should consider staying at his current team. The Australian had hinted that he could make a move from Red Bull to Mercedes in the coming years, but the leader of the pack feels that the 2018 Monaco GP winner is right where he belongs.
Riccardo's current contract with Red Bull is set to expire at the end of this season, with the 28-year-old Australian has also been linked to a potential move to Ferrari or F1 champions Mercedes.
And Hamilton insisted that Ricciardo has been performing more consistently and breaking fewer cars in comparison to his team-mate Max Verstappen.
"I chatted with him.I told him he's doing a great job. Everyone knows who his teammate (Max Verstappen) is and how much more he's paid, but he (Ricciardo) is more consistent, breaks cars less often and outperforms him," Sport24 quoted the Mercedes driver, as saying.
"He's one of the top drivers. I'm sure he has options, so that means Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari," he added.
British driver Hamilton, however, said that Ricciardo's probable move to Mercedes is quiet `unlikely`, with speculations of his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas likely to be retained.
"The other thing is that at the moment Daniel is the leader at Red Bull. It's a good place for him. At some point they will get a competitive engine and further reduce the gap to us. And that's great," Hamilton added.
Hamilton's comments comes just few days after Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff had stated that Ricciardo is definitely among the possible drivers who might join the Silver Arrows next year.
Ricciardo is currently standing at the third spot in drivers' championship after six Formula One races this season. The next F1 is slated to be held in Canada on June 10.
(With ANI Inputs)
