Sitting Beside Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen Forced to Make His Pick: “If It’s Checo Next Year…”

Sitting Beside Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen Forced to Make His Pick: “If It’s Checo Next Year...”

The enduring narrative etched between Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo has underlined the second half of the 2023 season. While the Mexican holds a contract to drive for Red Bull in 2024, Ricciardo has been thrust into the spotlight as he too fights for that second seat at the Milton Keynes outfit.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen seems to be sitting on the fence. Uncharacteristically diplomatic, the 26-year-old was not inclined to budge either way when quizzed about his preferred driver line-up for next year.

Alongside Ricciardo at the press conference, Verstappen stated (as quoted by GPBlog.com), “If it’s Checo next year, then great. I have had a great working relationship with him, but also personally, I think he’s a great guy. And if it’s Daniel, then also we will get along fine, and we have a great time. F1 can be a tough sport. You’re asking these kind of questions, but yeah, maybe also nothing happens.”

Daniel Ricciardo puts a pin in Red Bull talks

Daniel Ricciardo has undoubtedly been engrossed in discussions with Red Bull about his future in the sport. However, even though Sergio Perez is seemingly on the verge of a Red Bull exit, Ricciardo has revealed that he’s not had any sort of ‘replacement’ talks with the team at all.

crash.net quoted him as explaining, “I haven’t [had talks with Red Bull]. All the stuff around my contract next year has been related to AlphaTauri. I’d say that’s honestly as far as that goes.” That isn’t to say that Ricciardo has completely ruled out a sensational return to the main team come 2024.

As things stand, Perez will drive for Red Bull in 2024. That being said, if he slips to third in the championship by the end of the three remaining races, Ricciardo may find himself busy in the off-season chalking a deal out with the team for next year.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
AlphaTauri Daniel Ricciardo Max Verstappen Red Bull Sergio Perez

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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