Daniel Ricciardo risks ending his F1 career with a Red Bull promotion

A move to Red Bull Racing could be make or break for Daniel Ricciardo's career in Formula 1.

Daniel Ricciardo risks ending his F1 career with a Red Bull promotion

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Red Bull Racing seems to be in a state of turmoil. The Austrian team no longer enjoys a massive pace advantage against rivals with Max Verstappen going winless for three races for the first time since 2021. On the other hand, Sergio Perez has continued to perform below expectations. This has now opened the door for Daniel Ricciardo to potentially get back to Milton Keynes.

Red Bull Motorsport Consultant Dr. Helmut Marko asserted that a decision will be made on Perez’s future in the summer break. It is believed that Daniel Ricciardo is the likely candidate to replace the Mexican driver.

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Ricciardo himself has had a tough time so far this season after failing to match Yuki Tsunoda in the first few races. Nevertheless, Christian Horner and his team seem to have faith in the Australian driver. However, it is clear that Daniel Ricciardo could risk ending his F1 career with such a move.

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Daniel Ricciardo’s last chance for redemption in F1

The Honey Badger left Red Bull at the end of 2018 to race for Renault and later McLaren. Unfortunately, Daniel Ricciardo failed to live up to his Red Bull days and was out of a seat by the end of 2022. Despite getting the call-up from RB mid-way through last season, the Australian driver has not re-established himself as the Ricciardo of old.

Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo (via IMAGO)

It is clear that Daniel Ricciardo could’ve been at risk of losing his RB seat altogether had Sergio Perez not had such a poor season. However, getting promoted to Milton Keynes would be a massive challenge which the Australian cannot underestimate. The 35-year-old would need to match Max Verstappen from the get-go, something which past three of the Dutchman’s teammates have failed to do.

Daniel Ricciardo might be the one who had last outperformed Verstappen as a teammate. However, its been six years since then and the Dutch driver is on another level. If the Australian driver does not manage to live up to the high expectations, he would be sacked by Red Bull. Moreover, no other team would perhaps be interested in signing him for the future.

Certainly, a potential move to Red Bull is a major risk for Ricciardo. However, the Australian driver simply can’t refuse it. The 35-year-old must hope for a strong result at the Belgian GP this weekend. Fans would hope that Daniel Ricciardo does replace Perez and finally shows his brilliance in F1 once again.

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