Daniel Ricciardo’s Big Dream Crushed: “Didn’t Fulfil the Criteria to Be a Red Bull Racing Driver”

Daniel Ricciardo made no secret of his desire to end his career at Red Bull. However, since then, he’s only hurt his chances of getting a promotion to the coveted second seat at Red Bull by being subpar for V-CARB so far. Despite Red Bull’s expectations, he’s not been significantly faster than his teammate. This is the sole reason why Helmut Marko admitted he did not fit the criteria.

As quoted by ESPN, he said, “Daniel was put in the car and if he would have been significantly faster than Yuki there was an idea to bring him back to Red Bull Racing. But he also had this up and down. So, so far, he didn’t fulfill the criteria to be a Red Bull Racing driver.”

️ “To end my career as a Red Bull driver would be perfect.”

Daniel Ricciardo on his dream F1 ending. ️#F1 pic.twitter.com/3xbi9ArakA

— Planet Sport Bet (@planetsportbet) December 7, 2023

Ricciardo was the front-runner for the seat currently occupied by Sergio Perez. He and Liam Lawson were both part of a test in Imola as both were being considered for promotions.

The Australian would’ve been promoted to the Red Bull seat and Lawson would’ve replaced him at V-CARB. However, the Austrian outfit backed off from making these major changes at the midway point of the season.

The lineups will remain as is for the time being but there are still a lot of changes coming to Red Bull. Despite Perez’s contract extension, there are still a lot of rumors of his dismissal after the season’s conclusion. Red Bull also doesn’t want to lose out on Lawson. According to Marko, all these decisions will be revealed by September.

Ricciardo or Lawson — Red Bull will decide by September

In his interview, Marko revealed that V-CARB is a junior team and will cater to Red Bull’s needs. One of the biggest needs for the Austrian outfit is to find a long-term solution and partner for Max Verstappen. So, with V-CARB acting as a stepping stone for Red Bull, the team needs to decide on Lawson’s future.

The New Zealander impressed and scored points in a short span but was left out for 2024. According to reports, he can look elsewhere post-September if his future isn’t clear. With Ricciardo’s future still not decided, it’s an extremely volatile situation.

Marko revealed, “It’s a tough time for someone like Liam, especially as he jumped into the car under very, very difficult circumstances and did very well. We rate him high and he will get his chance. Just wait. September, you will have an answer.”

Whether it will be a positive answer for Lawson, Ricciardo, or both is anyone’s guess. However, this has been the nature of the current silly season. Sooner or later things will fall into place at the Red Bull-owned teams too.