It’s only been two weeks since Daniel Ricciardo made his return to the sport after a horrible crash during FP2 for the Dutch GP, this year. The crash left him with a broken wrist. However, in only the 2nd race since his return, the Honey Badger has sensationally outclassed Sergio Perez, at his home race, as he qualified his vastly inferior AlphaTauri ahead of the Red Bull driver yesterday. Now, he’s confident he can take it to the next level by delivering the final blow during Mexico City Grand Prix, per Fox Sports.
When asked if he could hold onto P4 and keep Perez & Company behind, Ricciardo told Sky Sports (as quoted by Fox Sports), “Why not — why can’t we stay at the front and fight where we are? Q3, we got that on merit. It’s not like we had a bit of help to determine the final grid position. Part of me always expects the top teams to show a little bit more on Sunday, but why not?”
The AT04 is arguably the worst car on the grid. And the team’s Constructors’ position in 10th and last is testament to it. On the other hand, Perez has been struggling to even make the most out of the RB19 which is one of the most dominant cars in the history of this sport. Naturally, after out-qualifying Perez with the slowest car on the grid, if Ricciardo can out-race the Mexican on home turf, that 2nd Red Bull seat would be getting closer to becoming a reality.
Daniel Ricciardo inches closer to Sergio Perez’s Red Bull seat
Ricciardo’s second coming in the sport, after 8 months on the sidelines, was with the sole intention of letting him audition for Perez’s seat at the main team. The rules of the game are simple: If Perez fails to improve and Ricciardo proves his salt, the Australian will be strapped once again into a Red Bull Racing F1 car.
What make Ricciardo’s qualifying efforts even more heroic is the fact that he has been nursing a broken wrist. Despite that crucial physical setback, he showed yesterday that he is still capable of wringing out the maximum from his car, even when his direct rival, Perez struggled for pace.
If Mexico is his highest point of 2023, Austin, just last week, would’ve been his worst. His first race since his injury, and Ricciardo finished last. However, he didn’t want to use his ailing hand as an excuse for his poor performance. Rather, it would appear that he’s channelized the disappointment of a week ago to his advantage this weekend.
The Honey Badger is back
Ricciardo lost a lot of himself during that torrid period with McLaren, which ended prematurely and acrimoniously last year. But after being welcomed back into the Red Bull family, he’s finally found himself again. “I feel a lot like my old self,” proclaimed the Aussie as he spoke to the media after that sensational Q3 effort yesterday.
Helmut Marko even hinted that Ricciardo’s ‘audition’ for that Red Bull seat may have finally come to fruition after yesterday. Marko told Sky Germany (as quoted by RacingNews365.com), “A great comeback after his hand injury and a good recommendation for his future.”
Naturally, if Ricciardo can hold on to P4 or better today, he’s in pole position to drive for the Bulls in 2024.
