Ricciardo: If I'm getting my arse whipped I don’t deserve to be in F1

Amid an unspectacular phase of his career, the popular Australian F1 driver, told PA news agency in China: “Everybody in the team is shutting that down. The black and white is that I have a contract. However, I have to earn my spot.

"I don’t want these results to continue for a year, and for me to say: ‘well I should be here because it is on paper’. I am not going to be happy with that. At the end of the day, if I am getting my arse whooped I don’t deserve to be here.

“I want to get back to a place where I know I can be, and I feel confident I can get there. I am aware I have to get the results. But from my side, I am not a rookie trying to prove something or to establish myself. I do have a history in this sport. I do have a track record that says I can win.

“But if we get to December and I have not been able to extract that then maybe I will be like, ‘fine I am done with this’ or ‘I am not good enough’, but I certainly don’t feel like that in my heart," insisted Ricciardo.

The truth about Dan's form is that he never was the driver he was at Red Bull. They tried everything at the Woking team to get the 'old' Dan back, But nothing worked and they eventually paid the Australian to depart and make way for a rookie.

It's familiar territory for 34-year-old Ricciardo: “I went through this at McLaren and I bought into the noise because I ended up losing the belief. I would question myself: ‘F@ck, maybe I have lost that edge? Maybe I can’t do it anymore?’

“But now I sit here in a different place because I do feel rejuvenated. That is why it is frustrating because in my head it makes no sense. If I do well here and in Miami, all of a sudden it is forgotten about. I don’t get caught up in it, but deep down, I know I have to do better.”

While Ricciardo's results are a worry, the same cannot be said of teammate Yuki Tsunoda who has ended to get the better of the veteran driver. While Sergio Perez has found a rich vein of form with a car at Red Bull that appears to be more to his liking.

But Ricciardo retains the dream to return to the Red Bull 'senior' team he once ditched to chase the money: “Is it still a goal? Of course. But where I sit right now, I don’t want to talk about it because I know I have to do better.

“I am also aware that if I start talking about that, all the responses, will be like, ‘mate, focus on where you are’, which is the truth. And look, can anything happen in F1? Yes. But my prediction is that Max stays," added Ricciardo, alluding to whether Verstappen decides to move from Red Bull to Mercedes.