Red Bull hopeful of new Ricciardo deal before summer break

Red Bull are hopeful of confirming a contract extension for Daniel Ricciardo that would keep him at the team for the foreseeable future. The Australian's future had been up in the air up until recently with rival teams confirming their line-ups for 2019 and beyond.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told Motorsport.com that after Mercedes' confirmation that Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas would remain with the team until 2020, his team could finally finalise a deal with Ricciardo.

"I think now that Lewis Hamilton's announcement has been made you'll see everything run pretty quickly," he said.

"We're aiming to have things finalised by the summer break. It will be good to go into the break with everything sorted."

Horner dismissed the notion however that the delay to the deal being confirmed was due to money being an issue for Ricciardo, with his teammate Max Verstappen reportedly on a much bigger contract than himself.

"No, no. We've got two great drivers, and they both contribute exceptionally well to the team. We're very keen to retain the same line-up for the future."

Ricciardo himself said he would be looking at a short-term deal however, with the F1 regulations set to undergo a serious revamp after the conclusion of the 2020 season.

"Depends, depends. I think with all the changes I wouldn't want to go too long-term.

"So yeah, not too long. Three's a lot. Maybe I'm on a beach somewhere in three."