Joining Hamilton tempts Ricciardo

DANIEL RICCIARDO has raised the possibility of joining Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate. The Australian (below) is the most in-demand driver on the grid after his barnstorming victory in china a fortnight ago and is a free agent at the end of the season. Although Ricciardo, 28, confirmed he had yet to speak to either of his potential suitors, Ferrari or Mercedes, he encouraged their interest by saying: ‘I would love to be challenged by the best and Lewis is right up there. ‘I’ve got a good challenge now with Max (Verstappen at Red Bull) and I had the same with Seb (Vettel), so I don’t want to say it is just Lewis I’m looking for but that would be great.’ Mercedes’ official position is that they are happy with Valtteri Bottas as Hamilton’s No 2. But that could change, especially as the team’s previous advantage over the rest of the field has diminished and they can no longer absorb any lost points. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Hamilton confirmed he remains ‘totally committed’ to Mercedes despite the delay in agreeing his new contract. All the behind-the-scenes indications support his claim that he will eventually re-sign. Meanwhile, McLaren have parted company with one of their leading engineers, long-serving Tim Goss, 55, as a reaction to the team’s poor start to the season. McLaren refused to comment on Goss’s departure, saying only: ‘McLaren confirms it is undergoing a review of its technical operations as part of its programme to return to

success.’