After an unfortunate split with McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo found his saving grace with Red Bull. Seeking ultimate redemption by landing a driving seat alongside Max Verstappen, Ricciardo is doing everything possible at V-CARB. Seeing the same, V-CARB team principal Laurent Mekies believes the Australian is on the right path to resurgence.
“We are lucky to be able to reconstruct the situation with him. Now we are seeing the ex Daniel again, so to speak, I notice an extremely motivated Ricciardo , focused and hungry for success. There’s no reason why Daniel isn’t on the same trajectory that landed him on those best-of lists from a few years ago.” Quotes Formula Passion.
Teams once looked at Ricciardo as one of the best drivers on the grid. The 34-year-old’s late braking abilities made him stand out from the crowd and often gave him an edge over the competition. However, poor stints followed him once he left Red Bull, and his best skills vanished. The Honey Badger quickly fell down the pecking order and had no takers.
After staying out of action for a few months, Ricciardo came back to the driver’s seat with AlphaTauri (now V-CARB). Rebuilding his career from the ground, the 34-year-old now stands as the prime contender to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull. Ricciardo would be hoping to secure strong results in 2024 to ensure Red Bull doesn’t look past him any longer.
A challenging silly season facing Daniel Ricciardo
After strong performances in 2023, Daniel Ricciardo quickly became the top contender to replace Sergio Perez in Red Bull. His close friendship with Max Verstappen stands as another reason why experts think that the Australian coming back to Red Bull might not be a bad idea.
However, with Carlos Sainz now without a seat, Ricciardo faces a new rival for arguably the most coveted seat in F1. As such, the 34-year-old might face tough competition once the F1 silly season sets off. Ricciardo could also become a Mercedes target, but Helmut Marko swiftly denied the possibility.
The 80-year-old was clear in his words when he said Ricciardo would not be available for any team owing to his long-term contract with Red Bull. Ricciardo’s V-CARB teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, could also be a threat to him should the Australian struggle to perform.
