Sergio Perez’s rise in Red Bull in recent times has been absolutely astonishing. After quietly spending two years at the Austrian team behind Max Verstappen, nobody saw Perez posing a threat to Verstappen in 2023.
As the Mexican is now giving Verstappen a title threat and doing the maximum for the team, this shuts the door for any opportunities for Daniel Ricciardo to make his much-anticipated comeback to the cockpit.
With two wins in five races, the Mexican driver is actively breathing down on the Dutchman’s neck. Furthermore, after having permission to race the defending champion freely, it is believed the 2023 F1 season will see more of Perez’s masterclass.
Taking Maxsplaining for a stroll 💬👀 pic.twitter.com/CCVEZ0i4EN
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) May 6, 2023
Known to be a tire whisperer and minister of defense, the Mexican now loves to be hailed as the King of Streets for his insane ability to win in street circuits. With such a magnificent job that he’s doing with the Milton-Keynes-based team, there’s hardly any chance he’ll be replaced by Ricciardo in the near future.
F1 hotshot snubs Ricciardo’s Red Bull cockpit return
With the “magic” job that Perez has been doing off late, the F1 hotshot snubs the Honey Badger’s chance to be alongside Verstappen again. Even though the Australian is a ‘fabulous’ guy to be around, that isn’t getting him the much-precious RB-19 seat.
Speaking about this in the Formula For Success podcast, Jordan said,
“There’s no way Daniel Ricciardo is going to do that job that Checo’s doing. In my opinion, having seen what Daniel has done, as much as we like the guy… Checo is doing a magic job.”
To put more emphasis on this, Ricciardo lost his McLaren seat due to a lack of performance. In a time when the 33-year-old lost his seat in a team that’s a mid-tabled one, there’s no point in the higher-ups of Red Bull will be handing him the top RB-19 seat.
The second Red Bull seat isn’t for Ricciardo, said Horner
Before the man from Land Down Under arrived at the team that helped him to win seven Grand Prix races, team principal Christian Horner made it clear that the second Red Bull seat wasn’t for him.
Looking forward to returning home 😊 https://t.co/cT3yFUXBhz
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) November 23, 2022
As per The Race, Horner said when asked if the Honey Badger will have a chance to be in the cockpit, “No, no, Daniel’s contract’s very specific for a specific reason.” Following this, he went on to explain the team’s contract with Perez and Verstappen and their performance as a pair.
Furthermore, Red Bull taskmaster Helmut Marko and Sergio Perez’s father, Antonio Perez Garibay, also believe in Checo to hold on to the second seat of the Austrian team. Daniel Ricciardo arrived at Red Bull in 2023 as a reserve driver behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Earlier, he left the team for Renault at the end of the 2018 F1 season.
