Daniel Ricciardo confirmed at Racing Bulls, no changes for the time being

The rumors have therefore not been confirmed. After being seen in discussions with Laurent Mekies and Christian Horner after the Spa race, many believed that the Australian Daniel Ricciardo would make his return to the Austrian team. Ricciardo had also announced that he would leave his phone on during the summer in case of a new offer.

However, according to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, a meeting took place on Monday at Red Bull to discuss the future of Mexican driver Sergio Perez. During this meeting, team principal Christian Horner informed all factory staff that Perez would complete the season, putting an end to speculations.

« Checo remains a Red Bull Racing driver, despite all the recent speculations. We look forward to seeing him perform on circuits where he has already achieved good results after the summer break. » The Mexican will therefore be Max Verstappen’s teammate at Zandvoort and for the rest of the season. This decision solidifies the positions of the two AlphaTauri drivers, Daniel Ricciardo and the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda, who may have hoped that Red Bull would part ways with Perez to get into the car.

Translate: The main loser remains Liam Lawson, the New Zealander, a driver of the Red Bull academy, was relying on Ricciardo’s poor results to be placed in the Racing Bulls. However, the last Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps has definitively tilted the balance in favor of the Australian, kept within the Red Bull team, at least until the end of the season.

For Yuki Tsunoda, the situation is different. Although his position has never been threatened, he regrets the lack of confidence that Red Bull has in him and believes that his place should be in the main team.

(e) If you look at the previous races, starting from the first one, it is quite clear how much I have proven on the track. With the number of appearances in Q3 and the number of points obtained at each track, I think I have proved enough. » However, these remarks do not seem to have been heard by the Austrian team, who has decided to maintain their faith in the Mexican driver, thus keeping Tsunoda within Racing Bulls.

Decisive tests at Imola?

Despite this decision, Red Bull plans to organize tests at Imola this Wednesday for a filming day dedicated to Racing Bulls. The three team drivers will be present, with Ricciardo explaining that he will probably do a few laps. Tsunoda will use the team’s current car, while Ricciardo and Lawson will be compared during tests of previous cars (TPC).

These tests could guide Red Bull’s choices for next year, with Perez only confirmed at Red Bull until the end of the season. Given his recent results, the Mexican is undoubtedly living his last moments at the Milton Keynes factory, a departure that would benefit Lawson and Ricciardo, the two most considered drivers for the Red Bull seat.

The former Carlin driver in Formula 2 once again received support from Helmut Marko, who declared at the beginning of the month: « We will offer him something. A cockpit for next year. He will be on the F1 grid in 2025. » Lawson, who had brilliantly replaced Ricciardo last year during a few Grand Prix races, hopes that Red Bull will keep its promise.

For Ricciardo, hope is reborn. After a difficult start to the season in a car where he didn’t feel comfortable, rumors of a dismissal were growing. However, for several weeks now, the former McLaren driver seems to have regained confidence behind the wheel, as evidenced by his three points finishes in the last six weekends, whereas he only scored once in the first eight Grand Prix races.

A return to the forefront appreciated by Peter Bayer, general manager of the Italian team, who believes that the Australian has brought a lot since his arrival.

« Daniel certainly helped us a lot. Last year, when he joined the team, he brought a whole new energy and spirit to the team, and he was a valuable help in supporting Yuki. Yuki recently stated that he continues to learn from Daniel. » The driver with 8 victories in Formula 1 therefore seems to be in a much more favorable position thanks to his results, which have impressed Red Bull.

However, it is important to note that Red Bull may still decide to change its line-up during the upcoming Grand Prix events, as the team is known to reconsider its recent decisions. In 2019, just after the Hungarian Grand Prix, Red Bull’s leaders, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, had announced to the Frenchman Pierre Gasly that he would finish the season with them before reversing course a few days later and demoting him to Toro Rosso.