Red Bull to decide 2019 engine plans next month

Daniel Ricciardo will have more clarity on his future in Formula One next month.

The Aussie ace, who starts this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal still riding a high after winning the last round in Monaco, is waiting for his Red Bull Racing team to confirm whether it will retain Renault powerplants or make a switch to Honda in 2019 before signing a new contract - or look for an alternative.

Ricciardo has been supported by Red Bull for the last decade, helping him graduate through the junior ranks to become one of F1's biggest stars, but his existing contract is due to end at the culmination of the 2018 season.

While paddock rumours have linked him to Ferrari, replacing Kimi Raikkonen alongside Sebastian Vettel who he beat when they were team mates at Red Bull in 2014, and also the championship-winning Mercedes-AMG outfit, Ricciardo has maintained he is waiting for clarity on Red Bull's future plans before committing to any deal.

Both Renault and Honda are set to introduce upgraded power units in this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, and Red Bull's motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, has stated the company will evaluate the situation following the race and announce its intentions for 2019 at next month's Austrian Grand at its home race held at the Red Bull Ring.

"We're in talks," Marko told British publication Autosport.

"Our internal schedule plans that we want to have a decision on the engine issue by the Grand Prix in Austria. If possible, then also on the driver.

"I'm sure there'll be a decision in Austria. There's not that many possibilities."

Meanwhile, New Zealander Brendon Hartley is under increasing pressure to perform with the sister Toro Rosso outfit with speculation he could be replaced by rising star Lando Norris.

The World Sportscar Champion has scored just one point in the opening six races - compared to the 18 amassed by his highly-rated team mate Pierre Gasly. But he is confident of turning around his fortunes and remaining with the team, at least for the remainder of the 2018 season.

Lorenzo's double victory

Three-time MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo has had a victorious week.

Just days after taking the chequered flag at last weekend's Italian MotoGP at Mugello, his first victory for Ducati and first since 2016, the Spaniard was confirmed as Marc Marquez' new team mate at the factory Honda outfit for the next two years.

Lorenzo will replace Dani Pedrosa, who has ridden for the Japanese manufacturer since 2006 and has finished runner-up in the world championship three times during his career.

The move has created a domino effect behind Lorenzo, with Italian Daniel Petrucci being promoted to the top-flight Ducati outfit as Lorenzo's replacement after three years with the satellite Pramac team.

Webber helps Marquez with F1 debut

Mark Webber was on hand to guide reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez during his first taste of a Formula One car in Austria this week.

The Aussie nine-time Grand Prix winner gave the Spaniard tips on how to adapt from two to four wheels as the Spaniard drove a five-year old Toro Rosso F1 car around the Red Bull Ring in Austria this week.

Marquez was impressive in his outing, and was amazed by the speed of the machine.

He even hinted at a potential switch to F1 in the future, aligning him with John Surtees as the only athlet to have won world championship Grands Prix on two and four wheels.

"My complete focus in the coming years will remain on MotoGP. I’m part of a fantastic team, and I feel fully motivated," he said. 

“Who knows though, maybe Formula 1 will be a serious idea for me in a few years’ time. It was always my dream to race the quickest cars in the world. I had great respect for it ahead of today, and I didn’t sleep well.

"In the end it was an unbelievable experience, and an absolute highlight of my career.”

Could Ogier head to back to Citroen?

Former world rally champion Sebastian Ogier has been linked with a return to Citroen in 2019 after the French car maker dumped its lead driver, Kris Meeke, in the lead-up to this weekend's Rally of Italy.

Meeke has been sidelined following a spate of crashes that have cost the team significant results and resulted in expensive repair bills.

Ogier, who has taken an early lead in Italy, began his top-flight WRC career with Citroen (pictured) alongside nine-time champion, and fellow countryman, Sebastien Loeb, but was poached by Volkswagen after tensions grew between the pair.

Following the German brand's sudden departure at the end of 2016, Ogier has driven for the M-Sport Ford team, where, despite its semi-privateer status, he has maintained his form and narrowly won his fifth world title last year.

Citroen's WRC team principal, Pierre Budar, told Autosport this week he would be open to negotiations with Ogier about a return to the French brand.

"You can imagine in our situation we are going to consider all of the opportunities to have a new driver," he said.

"If you tell me Ogier is on the market and Ogier can be interested by Citroen then, of course, I would be interested in Sebastien Ogier. That's for sure. But we have to consider all the opportunities. We have to define our driver line-up for next year."