Daniel Ricciardo re-joined Red Bull at the start of the 2023 season, after losing his spot at McLaren. However, he is just a reserve driver on the team, whose main contribution comes behind the wheel of a simulator at their factory in Milton-Keynes. Now, with Sergio Perez’s future in the team being questioned, Ricciardo’s good work behind the scenes has been brought to light by Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
Perez’s 2023 season went off to a brilliant start, and he was closer than ever to Max Verstappen. However, in the last four races, we have seen a major dip in form from Perez, especially in qualifying. The Guadalajara-born driver has failed to make it into Q3 in all the beforementioned races. This has put his future in the air, with his contract set to expire in 2024, and with Red Bull having a history of being ruthless with their second drivers.
Ricciardo, who will get to drive the RB19 in a three-day Pirelli tire test in Silverstone, is one of the names in line to potentially replace Sergio Perez. Although the rumors aren’t strong, Horner recently spoke about the possibility of him showcasing his abilities in F1 very soon.
Daniel Ricciardo looks competitive on the simulator, says Horner
Daniel Ricciardo’s main responsibilities when it comes to helping the team’s championship charge have been taking place behind the scenes. He has spent a lot of time on the simulator, gathering important data to help Verstappen and Perez out on track. This good work has been recognized by team principal Horner, who commented about the same as reported by The Race.
“He seems to have re-found his mojo,” Horner said. “He’s been working hard on the simulator, he’s now extremely competitive in what he’s doing in the virtual world.”
Like Red Bull’s chief advisor Helmut Marko, Horner went on to reveal that Ricciardo’s performance in the tire test will be assessed. There is a high possibility that if Ricciardo impresses Marko and Horner, he will return to F1, although it may be for their sister team AlphaTauri and not Red Bull.
Is Sergio Perez’s place under threat?
Publicly, Christian Horner has shown full support to Perez, although he did vent out his frustration after the Mexican driver’s latest Q2 exit in Austria. Even though he got a podium in the end, Horner insists that Perez made things incredibly difficult for himself and the team.
The second seat at Red Bull puts its occupants under a lot of pressure with expectations to match Verstappen put on their shoulders upon joining. However, with Perez P2 in the standings at the moment, and having a contract till 2024, it seems highly unlikely that Red Bull will pull the plug on his deal.
Ricciardo’s strong performances in the sim may land him a spot at AlphaTauri, however, with their own Dutchman Nyck De Vries under immense pressure from both Marko and Horner. For now, however, fans are widely anticipating a strong performance from the honey badger at the Silverstone circuit later this month.
