Red Bull chose to retain Ricciardo at the Faenza outfit for 2024 rather than opt for Liam Lawson, who showed well when he deputised for the injured Australian at five grands prix last season.
However, in the early races of this year, Ricciardo has been overshadowed by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who has twice made Q3 and finished eighth in Melbourne last weekend.
Ricciardo in contrast has struggled to get up to speed, and started his home race in 18th after losing his quick lap to a track-limits offence. He has finished the first three events in 13th, 16th and 12th places.
Some media reports have suggested that Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has given Ricciardo two more races to prove himself or risk losing his seat to Lawson, although the Austrian has denied the speculation.
Ricciardo insists that he is not paying attention to such talk.
“I came into this weekend, really, honestly, deep down believing like we were going to have a very, very good weekend,” he said in Australia.
“In terms of the noise, people tell me like in the media, they're like, 'Oh, so and so said' - it's the first I've heard.
“It's obviously no disrespect to you guys, but I know that I'm on this little kind of process or journey at the moment. And I just need to focus on myself. And I think if I let any of the noise in, it's going to kind of distract me from the path I'm on. I haven't let any of that negative stuff creep in.”
Source: Autosport