Red Bull’s senior advisor, Helmut Marko, has hinted that Daniel Ricciardo is being considered for the team’s second race seat alongside Max Verstappen. Ricciardo is set to test a Red Bull F1 car for the first time in five years with Pirelli following the British Grand Prix and another later in the year at Monza. Marko revealed that these tests will be used to evaluate Ricciardo’s performance as a potential replacement for Sergio Perez.
Perez’s position in the team was believed to be secure until his recent drop in form after the Miami Grand Prix. Despite winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and standing on the podium in Miami, Perez has struggled in the last three races, failing to qualify in the top-10 and missing out on a podium finish. The deficit in the championship between Perez and Verstappen now stands at 69 points.
While it is unlikely that Perez’s slump will cost Red Bull the constructors’ world championship, the team is considering their options for the future. Marko’s use of the term “succession” suggests that Red Bull is preparing for a life beyond Perez. Although Verstappen is contracted until at least 2028, it appears that Perez is not part of Red Bull’s long-term plans beyond his current contract, which ends in 2024.
Red Bull has a history of making driver swaps, and Perez may be feeling anxious about his future with the team. On the other hand, Ricciardo has previously stated that he would only return to the sport with a top team. However, reports suggest that Perez may spend a year with AlphaTauri, the team currently at the bottom of the constructors’ championship. Placing Ricciardo at AlphaTauri, the team he drove for in his first full year in F1, would provide valuable experience alongside Yuki Tsunoda and allow Red Bull to assess his form.
It is worth noting that Lewis Hamilton has not yet signed a formal contract extension with Mercedes, leaving room for unexpected developments in the F1 driver market.
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Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
