Daniel Ricciardo has indicated that the current situation at his team
Toro Rosso is in a state of flux, with no confirmation yet as to what is happening with the position of technical director and continued uncertainty over his own future with the team.
Reports circulating yesterday strongly hinted that James Key is set to take over the role of technical director from Giorgio Ascanelli from the end of the month, but nothing has yet been officially confirmed and Ricciardo suggested that he didn't know yet how that was likely to be resolved.
"In Hockenheim there was a bit of discussion and Giorgio was absent," Ricciardo told the Australian press on Wednesday. "Whether it's something that will get resolved over the break.
"Maybe it came at a good time and some time off and everyone can rethink," he added. "Maybe it will be good and, come to Spa, maybe everything will be normal again - or there could be some changes."
The uncertainty about such a key position in the team has also caused a knock-on effect in other areas, with Ricciardo admitting that there was nothing to announce about his own prospects of staying with the team for a second season after the end of 2012.
"I'm not confirmed for what I am doing next year, but I'd be happy to do another year here to improve myself and see what happens," he said.
Ricciardo has consistently out-performed his team mate Jean-Eric Vergne so far in this season. But he admitted that he hadn't yet pulled off the sort of break-through performance that
Sebastian Vettel had done in 2007/8 to justify his elevation to the senior
Red Bull team, and Ricciardo said that he'd never expected to move into the
Red Bull team as early as next season, even before
Mark Webber announced his re-signing with the team in July.
"Unless we were getting some podiums and doing something extraordinary, I never saw that happening next year," agreed Ricciardo. "I wasn't disappointed because I didn't really expect it. We've still got a bit to learn."
In his 11 races so far with Toro Rosso, Ricciardo's best finish was in the points in ninth place at his home race in Australia at the 2012 season opener. he's not finished in the top ten since then, but has been a consistent performer and only failed to finish once - in the Monaco Grand Prix at the end of May.