Daniel Ricciardo will start the Hungarian Grand Prix with AlphaTauri replacing Nyck De Vries in a shocking turn of events. Even though there is no direct risk for Sergio Perez from this move at Red Bull, this has undoubtedly put pressure on the Mexican star. If Ricciardo finishes well with the sister team and Perez can’t find his performance, chances are he can be swapped to be placed alongside Max Verstappen. However, Ricciardo is realistic about the approach and has zero expectations, but still keeps his hopes high.
Interestingly, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner recently said in the F1 Nation podcast that the Australian driver’s ultimate goal is the Red Bull seat for the 2025 F1 season. While the Honey Badger had already been a Red Bull star, he will be agonizingly eager to get his place back alongside his old teammate.
This makes the Red Bull fraternity situation spicy and risky for all the drivers involved. Since the Austrian stable is known for its strict judgment regarding performance, there could be chances that both Perez and Ricciardo will lose out on the Red Bull seat.
Ricciardo dreams of returning to Red Bull
After leaving the Red Bull seat in 2018, Daniel Ricciardo has his eyes set on the prestigious garage. Admittedly, this is a seat almost every driver will have their eyes on because of the mighty RB-19.
Regarding the 34-year-old, he knows things are a bit unrealistic, with Perez having active support from Helmut Marko and Christian Horner. However, he is ready to do his best with AlphaTauri and seize the opportunity that might arrive in the future.
Back to the grid and it feels this good. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/I822arT99G
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) July 11, 2023
Talking about this, the AlphaTauri star revealed his expectations from the entire situation. According to Italian media newsf1, he stated, “The dream is to go back to Red Bull, but it makes no sense to think about this. There will be plenty to do here. As for expectations, for me, there are none. I just want to enjoy the moment driving the car without thinking too far.”
Perez should be worried because of Ricciardo’s F1 return
According to renowned F1 expert Ted Kravitz, the Mexican driver should be worried about his seat at Red Bull. Given how drastically things can change at Milton-Keynes, the 33-year-old needs to push as soon as possible to safeguard his place with the defending champions next year.
According to Sky Sports, Kravitz believes if the Australian driver might turn it around for the Faenza-based team this season, chances are he can be seen as the immediate replacement of Checo. It will not matter, even if he has a year left in his contract or brings a lot of sponsorships to the team.
Notably, the second seat at Red Bull has been a headache for the defending champions lately. With rivals catching up to them, they need a driver alongside the two-time world champion to deliver. This is a severe need if the Milton-Keynes-based team wants a firm grip on the Constructors’ championship.
