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Daniel Ricciardo was holding onto a thin thread of hope about a possible Formula 1 return when he was hired by Red Bull as their third driver in 2023. However, even the slightest possibility of him taking over the Red Bull seat has disappeared. Red Bull’s chief advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed that they have no doubts that Sergio Perez is the best teammate Max Verstappen can have.
Ricciardo was dropped by McLaren following two disappointing seasons and failed to land a seat for himself in 2023. He was then recruited by his ex-employers, Red Bull, to act as their reserve driver. It was widely speculated that if Perez has a drop in performance, Ricciardo would get the nod to take over the Mexican’s seat.
Speculations about the same increased following a poor run of performances by Perez. The Mexican has been very inconsistent as of late. The last race in Spain saw Perez getting knocked out in Q2 and having to start from P11 whereas his teammate claimed pole position. Monaco was also a disaster for Perez as he crashed out in Q1. He ended up finishing P16, getting lapped twice by his own teammate.
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Helmut Marko backs Sergio Perez
The speculations about Perez being dropped and Ricciardo taking over his seat have been quashed by Helmut Marko. Marko recently gave an interview to F1 insider where he was asked about the rumors about Perez being replaced. Marko did not take much time to say that the rumors were absolutely baseless.
“It’s bullsh*t. Sergio’s position was never in jeopardy, and it won’t be in the future either. He is an important component in achieving our set goals for this year,” said Marko. He continued, “We want to finish 1st&2nd in the World Drivers Championship and become World Constructor’s Champion as quickly as possible”
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Marko explained that he talked to Perez about his rather poor performances in Monaco and Spain. The 79-year-old asked Perez to concentrate on the job. He commented that Verstappen’s teammate did well to recover during the Spanish Grand Prix despite having a poor qualifying.
Christian Horner also believes in Sergio
Helmut Marko isn’t the only one who has full faith in Perez. Team Principal Christian Horner is backing him too. Horner was asked by Sky Sports F1 if he believes that Perez can make a comeback and catch up to Verstappen. Horner replied that having fallen behind Verstappen so much in the standings should actually help Perez because it will take the pressure off of him.
Despite all of this support, it is very well known that Red Bull are highly impatient with their drivers. What happened to Pierre Gasly in 2019 is a clear example of that. The Milton Keynes outfit have shown it before that they won’t think twice about dropping a driver mid-season if they cannot provide the team with good results. Therefore, if Perez keeps on faltering, he might be in trouble. Now whether that driver is Ricciardo or not, is yet to be seen.
