5 Years After Upsetting Red Bull for Abandoning Them, Daniel Ricciardo Was Hired Back Only for One Sole Reason; Claims F1’s Top Presenter

Daniel Ricciardo upset Red Bull 5 years ago when he made a shocking move by joining rivals Renault. Despite the Australian’s surprise decision, the Milton Keynes outfit seems to have buried the past by rehiring him. And according to top F1 presenter Will Buxton, Red Bull have rehired the 34-year-old for one reason only.

Although all seems to be right at the moment for Red Bull, as they have already sealed both the Drivers and the Constructors’ Championship, they still do seem to have an issue with their driver pairing. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has explained how his side, unlike others, do not have an ideal driver pairing as Sergio Perez has struggled massively this season.

As a result, Buxton believes that the Milton Keynes outfit have only got Ricciardo back with the hope that he prepares himself to take the second seat alongside Verstappen sometime in the future. This does not bode well for Perez, who has come under increasing pressure in recent times because of his continuous struggles.

Will Buxton explains why Red Bull resigned Daniel Ricciardo

Ahead of the United States GP this weekend, Will Buxton explained the sole reason why Red Bull resigned Daniel Ricciardo. “Daniel Ricciardo isn’t in that seat out of charity. Red Bull don’t do charity. He’s there for one reason and one reason alone, which is to see if he is good enough to go back into Red Bull at some point in the future. That’s it. It’s that simple,” explained the British presenter.

“Daniel Ricciardo isn’t in that seat out of charity. Red Bull don’t do charity. He’s there for one reason and one reason alone, which is to see if he is good enough to back to Red Bull at some point in the future. That’s it, it’s that simple.”

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The Australian himself has admitted that one of the main reasons he returned to AlphaTauri this season was to put himself back in contention to get that second seat alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull. Many believe that the Honey Badger is one of the drivers who is likely to be a good fit because of what he has demonstrated previously.

Ricciardo has a history of achieving success at Red Bull

Even though Daniel Ricciardo has struggled massively since he left Red Bull at the end of the 2018 season, the Milton Keynes outfit is still aware of his talent. The Australian won seven out of his eight races with the team and is perhaps the only driver who has been able to match Max Verstappen.

Although the Dutchman was a rising star when Ricciardo was previously on the team, the Australian was yet able to demonstrate that he is capable of delivering for Red Bull by winning races. Sergio Perez has struggled to do the same during his time with the team, as he has just managed to win five races in his third full season with the side.

In stark contrast, Verstappen has won 39 races in the same duration. As a result, it seems that Red Bull may not even make a big gamble if they decide to replace Perez with Ricciardo, even if the 34-year-old does not deliver as many perhaps expect him to do. This is simply because of how much the Mexican has struggled.