“Don’t want to put Sergio Perez under pressure”: Helmut Marko dismisses Daniel Ricciardo’s chances of replacing Mexican driver at Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo making a return to Red Bull as a reserve driver has been one of the biggest talking points since the 2022 season ended. The honey badger endured a difficult spell at McLaren which led to his premature sacking from the team. He had to leave F1 as a full-time driver since no seat was available, but decided to stay in touch with the sport nevertheless.

Ricciardo signed up with Red Bull as the third driver behind Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen. The relationship between the latter two grew frictional since the altercation between them at the Sao Paolo GP earlier this year. Consequently, a lot of people took Ricciardo’s arrival on the team as an ominous sign for Perez.

The Aussie enjoyed his best time F1 with the Milton Keynes-based outfit, winning seven races with them. The fact that Ricciardo will contribute to a huge commercial boost could also be valuable, so people began to assume that he will replace Perez very soon. However, as things turn out, Red Bull has signed Ricciardo only for marketing reasons (for now).

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Sergio Perez will continue to drive for Red Bull, insists Marko

Perez has been far off the pace compared to Verstappen over the last two seasons and it’s clear that Red Bull sees him as a second driver. Chief Advisor Helmut Marko insists that Perez is the best possible number two for Verstappen.

Marko praised the Guadalajara-born driver for being at a high level, and recognizes how he has been for the team when Verstappen hasn’t on rare occasions.

“Sergio Perez has shown that he drives at a very high level, ” the 79-year-old said to Servus TV. “If Max is not there, then Sergio is there. It is a certain security, but it is not that we want to put Sergio under pressure.”

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Daniel Ricciardo was brought to Red Bull for sponsorship reasons

Ricciardo is one of the most marketable drivers in F1 and is a huge asset to teams for that reason. He is particularly popular in the United States of America, a country where the sport’s popularity is sky rocketing. Marko feels that having Ricciardo appear for promotional and one off events as a Red Bull representative will be huge for the branding of the team.

“There are show car runs and performances,” he continued. “Especially in America. Who is better suited than Ricciardo with his smiley and shoey?”

Ricciardo plans to stay in touch with the sport in 2023 from the sidelines. However, the Perth-born driver is definitely eyeing for a Formula 1 comeback in 2024.