Helmut Marko asserts Daniel Ricciardo failed to fulfill criteria for promotion to Red Bull
Helmut Marko revealed the reason for not promoting Daniel Ricciardo to Red Bull after the summer break this season.
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Helmut Marko and Daniel Ricciardo (images via IMAGO0
Daniel Ricciardo made a shock return to the F1 grid mid-way through 2023 with AlphaTauri (now RB). The Australian driver replaced the struggling Nyck de Vries ten races into the season. Many hoped that the Honey Badger could make his way to Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen this season. Now, Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has revealed the reason for Ricciardo staying at RB.
Marko admitted that the reason Daniel Ricciardo was signed by RB was to see if the Australian could be significantly faster than Yuki Tsunoda. This would’ve opened the door for the 35-year-old to potentially replace Sergio Perez at the Milton Keynes-based squad.
Daniel was put in the car and if he would have been significantly faster than Yuki there was an idea to bring him back to Red Bull Racing.Helmut Marko told ESPN
Unfortunately, Helmut Marko pointed out that Ricciardo has had his ups and downs this season. As such, the Honey Badger did not meet the criteria he needed to take Checo’s seat after the summer break. Daniel Ricciardo is set to continue with RB at least for the remainder of the 2024 season alongside Tsunoda.
But he also had this up and down. So, so far, he didn't fulfil the criteria to be a Red Bull Racing driver.Helmut Marko stated
Helmut Marko claims RB set to stay a junior team
The Faenza-based RB has always been a junior team for Red Bull Racing. The Austrian giant uses the Italian squad for its young drivers to make their F1 debut. However, this has not been the case lately with Liam Lawson waiting on the sidelines. Now, Helmut Marko made it clear that investors want to see RB continue as a junior team in the future.
It was a clear statement from the shareholders that Racing Bulls is a junior team and this route will be how the future will look.Helmut Marko declared
Certainly, this could come at the cost of Daniel Ricciardo’s future in Formula 1. The Australian driver is yet to receive a contract for 2025. The best bet for the Honey Badger would be to outperform his teammate consistently and make a case to replace Perez for next season. Fans would certainly want to see Ricciardo reunite with Verstappen at Red Bull.
In case you missed it:
- Aston Martin breaks silence on reports over signing of Adrian Newey
- Helmut Marko gives a timeline for the final verdict on Liam Lawson’s future with Red Bull
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Armaan Agarwal
(2435 Articles Published)