Two times Le Mans winner claims Daniel Ricciardo ‘deserves’ to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo has impressed several people since returning to the pinnacle of motor racing.

Two times Le Mans winner claims Daniel Ricciardo ‘deserves’ to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo (Credits: manofmany.com) and Sergio Perez (Credits: @FastestPitStop/Twitter)

Daniel Ricciardo is currently making his trade as the racing driver for the AlphaTauri F1 team. While the ongoing campaign is in its summer break, former F1 driver and 2-time Le Mans winner Hans-Joachim Stuck has admitted that the Australian is the perfect replacement for Sergio Perez at Red Bull.

Daniel Ricciardo has impressed everyone since taking over the AlphaTauri seat from Nyck De Vries. The Red Bull hierarchy is pleased with how the 34-year-old has performed in his few outings and strongly believes that after spending some time away from the F1 grid, Ricciardo has finally found his mojo back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l-EN-ZYDp8

While discussing how Red Bull can benefit from Ricciardo’s appointment, Stuck told the Mirror, “He’ll prove that when he’s in a good car. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for him that he will be Max Verstappen‘s team-mate if Red Bull can’t get along with Sergio Perez anymore. Ricciardo deserves it.”

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“I don’t know what Helmut Marko is planning and what agreements Perez and Red Bull have with each other. You just have to wait and see, that’s an internal story. In any case, I’m happy that Ricciardo is back. I think that’s great.” Hans-Joachim Stuck has done his absolute best to sway Red Bull toward signing Daniel Ricciardo for the upcoming years of F1.

Discover: “I’m actually really glad,” Daniel Ricciardo reckons that his move to AlphaTauri before the summer break was a blessing in disguise 

Daniel Ricciardo is desperate to get back to winning ways in F1

Daniel Ricciardo (Credits: ABC)
Daniel Ricciardo (Credits: ABC)

While Daniel Ricciardo has signed a deal with AlphaTauri for this year, his ultimate aim remains to get a top F1 seat and get back to challenging for wins regularly. He is a former eight-time Grand Prix winner and ideally wants to add a few more triumphs before bringing the shutter down in his F1 career.

However, it is easier said than done, considering how sort-after the Red Bull F1 seat is. Sergio Perez has a deal in place until the end of 2024, and if Red Bull does not decide to axe the Mexican, the opportunity to get the coveted seat will arrive in 2025. By then, Ricciardo would already be 36 years old, and there are doubts about whether Horner and Co. would want to bring on board an aged driver.

Moreover, the talent at the pinnacle of motor racing is immense, and it is a common belief that Red Bull is impressed with what the young Oscar Piastri has been able to produce so far in his rookie F1 season. There are a lot of factors currently in play regarding the Red Bull seat, and it will be fascinating to see how the situation will develop during the second leg of 2023.

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