Daniel Ricciardo, Renault, Baku City Circuit, 2019

Ricciardo bet Marko €1,000 Bottas would lose Mercedes seat

2019 F1 season

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Daniel Ricciardo has revealed he lost a €1,000 bet with Red Bull motorsport director Helmut Marko last year that Valtteri Bottas would not stay at Mercedes for the 2019 F1 season.

Mercedes announced in July last year it had extended Bottas’s contract for another season. That ended Ricciardo’s hopes of joining the team from Red Bull and cost him €1,000 (£860) to Marko.

“He always wants to bet more,” said Ricciardo when asked in Baku about the bet. “But when he wants to bet more you know he already knows the answer.

“I’m not a gambling man, I don’t really bet, I don’t go in casinos. A thousand is not by choice, it’s a bit of peer pressure from Helmut.”

However Ricciardo revealed he later won his money back.

“We did another bet, actually, we did another one in Melbourne and I won it back. So we’re even. It was [on] qualifying. He thought they would be top three in qualifying and I thought they wouldn’t, and they weren’t so I got my money back.”

The top Red Bull qualified fourth on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen fell short of third place – and cost Marko his winnings – by 0.13 seconds.

“I don’t want to bet with him any more,” Ricciardo added. “If our relationship’s like that it’s quite fun.”

The FIA International Sporting Code forbids competitors from placing bets on races they are involved in.

Article 17.1 states: “No person holding a Licence, a Super Licence or a Certificate of registration for the staff of Competitors entered in the FIA World Championships, and no staff member of the Organiser of a Competition registered on the International Sporting Calendar or on the national calendar of an ASN may, either directly or through an intermediary, place bets or gamble on a passage of play or a Competition, if they are involved in that Competition, in particular through taking part in or being connected in any way with it.”

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16 comments on “Ricciardo bet Marko €1,000 Bottas would lose Mercedes seat”

  1. So what FIA do to Ric for violating Article 17.1? Revoke his Super License?

    1. Nothing. We are not talking about millions. $1K is pocket change for them.

    2. The legal drama. I’m sure this matter is going to get dealt behind the scenes.

    3. Bottas keeping his seat is not part of the “competition” and the Red Bull bet is not something Marko or Ricciardo could have influenced anyway.

  2. Dumb bet. Bottas is the perfect #2. No fast enough to challenge the #1 ever and fast enough deliver the WCC. Imagine having someone just a bit faster like Rosberg or even closer like Leclerc. Bottas is perfect so why upgrade or downgrade with Ocon.

  3. Bottas 2.0 gains… A NEW ENEMY *dramatic Finnish music*

  4. Daniel, you’ve got to like his spirit.

  5. Nice to see that Dan’s still got a friendly relationship with Dr. Marko. So is it only Horner that’s sore about having lost him to Renault?

    1. Or…@phylyp, as @ruliemaulana implied above, Marko is trying to get the FIA to revoke Dan’s super license.

      But, with Liberty doing a joint venture with a ISG, a betting company, FIA will be forced to revoke Liberty’s F1 license as well.

      1. Hah, good one once again @jimmi-cynic :)

  6. Wonder if Ricciardo will be receiving a “To whom it may concern” letter from Mr Bottas.

  7. Now we know who Bottas directed his post Australia “f you” to.

  8. Do understand Ricciardo’s disappointment not getting the Merc seat, but drivers should have mutual respect and not come out with things like that.

  9. What a bizarre thing to admit. All fun and games doing it in private but admitting you gunned for a driver to get the chop shows a lack of respect. Nobody comes out of this looking good.

  10. Ah ah, kinda fun actually. And I’m sure Bottas doesn’t care about that so no one’s hurt.

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