SINGAPORE – Daniel Ricciardo missed the opportunity to make a statement in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix amid questions about his future in Formula One.

Ricciardo and RB looked strong in practice on Friday, but the Australian failed to make it past Q1 – he will start Sunday’s race from 16th place on the grid.

Teammate Yuki Tsunoda made it into Q3 and will start from eighth place.

Ricciardo’s status in the team is uncertain, with Liam Lawson likely to replace him next year. Some reports have even suggested a move could happen after the Singapore race.

When asked how much his pace had dropped in qualifying, Ricciardo had no answer.

“I try to be optimistic, but today was a very pessimistic day, so I’ll probably drown in my ice bath,” Ricciardo joked on Saturday evening.

When asked if his Q1 exit was more frustrating given the current situation, Ricciardo said: “Yes, of course. It would be nice to just make a statement, but yes, the Q1 thing is rubbish, of course.”

“So, I don’t know… with all the shit that was going on, I honestly had a feeling today was going to be good, so I’m more like, how did we end up in Q1? So, yeah, I don’t know.”

He added: “Q1 sucks, especially when you don’t expect to be there. Of course, at some races we expected to be here, but after yesterday I didn’t think it would be possible with a sh— lap.”

A moment in his media interview revealed some annoyance at how things were going behind the scenes at RB and Red Bull.

On Friday, Red Bull racing consultant Helmut Marko responded to an off-hand comment Ricciardo made the previous day about the inconsistency of Formula 1. He essentially said that while one day you might be on the hit list, if he gets a big result, such as a podium finish, he’ll be back in the running to replace Sergio Perez.

Marko seemed to suggest that only such a result could save Ricciardo.

“He said that if he landed on the podium, the situation would look completely different. I completely agree with him,” Marko told ORF.

Ricciardo’s body language changed when Marko’s comments were put to him in the press room after qualifying. The Australian turned to the side, thought about his answer for a while and then obviously paid attention to how he worded his reply.

“You can’t just go from one race to the next. That’s not OK,” said Ricciardo. “But I thought today would be OK. Yes, no, that’s… yes, I’m not saying more.”

With overtaking in Singapore being one of the most difficult races of all, Ricciardo’s prospects are bleak from 16th place on the grid.

The eight-time race winner joked about the most infamous moment on the circuit, when Nelson Piquet Jr. planned an accident with Renault so that his then teammate Fernando Alonso could benefit from a safety car and win the race.

The incident was called Crashgate.

When asked what he needed to score some points on Sunday, Ricciardo laughed and said: “Hopefully a safety car at the right time. Bring Piquet back and let’s make it happen!”