Daniel Ricciardo’s bid to return to Red Bull Racing’s senior team has suffered a major setback. Sergio Perez, despite recent struggles with form, has been confirmed to retain his seat alongside Max Verstappen, at least for the foreseeable future.
Since May, Perez’s performance has been under scrutiny and his future at Red Bull was uncertain, particularly after a challenging Belgian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton won at Spa-Francorchamps and Perez finished seventh, unable to keep pace with the leading Mercedes and McLaren cars. Verstappen, who started from 11th due to a grid penalty, finished fourth.
Talks spark speculation
Speculation about a possible driver change intensified when Ricciardo was spotted in conversation with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies in the Belgian paddock. Despite the rumours, Horner addressed the Red Bull staff on Monday night and reaffirmed Perez’s position within the team.
“Checo remains a Red Bull Racing driver, despite recent speculation, and we look forward to seeing him after the summer break on tracks where he has previously excelled,” Horner was quoted as saying by Dutch publication De Telegraaf. Red Bull have since confirmed the accuracy of that statement.
Marko ‘not a fan’ of Perez
After his team finished eighth (seventh following the disqualification of George Russell) in Spa, team boss Christian Horner could not hide his disappointment at the result. However, he insisted that “no one wants to make the decision” to replace Perez and that the team is “behind him” as he looks to regain his form.
Dr Helmut Marko was scathing in his assessment of Perez’s performance: “Sergio had the opportunity to get a good result from second place. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case.”
The Austrian was dismissive of the Mexican’s performance, adding, “Especially in the last stint he completely collapsed, where he set lap times of 1m48s.”
Financial considerations
Perez brings significant sponsorship to the team, and the cost of releasing him would see funds withdrawn from sponsors such as Disney, Telcel, Nescafe and KitKat. While not on the scale of the Oracle team’s $100 million sponsorship deal, these sponsors contribute a substantial total of around $30 million.
During the troubled start to the season, when Christian Horner’s actions came under scrutiny, Perez backed his team boss, contradicting Jos Verstappen’s statements and claiming that the team was “united” behind Horner. Verstappen chose not to comment, sparking rumours of his imminent departure from the team.
Red Bull decisions not final
Red Bull is a hard-nosed F1 outfit, forged in both success and failure. An emotional decision based on Perez’s support is unlikely to be the reason for the team’s current decision. It could be that Perez has one or two more races to prove his worth.
However, if the team championship appears to be in jeopardy, Red Bull Racing may reconsider this decision before the next series of flyaway races starting in Azerbaijan.
Ricciardo’s position with Red Bull
In the meantime, Ricciardo will continue with Red Bull’s sister team for the remainder of the season. At Spa, Ricciardo started 11th but was promoted to a points position following George Russell’s disqualification. Ricciardo has consistently outperformed his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda in five of the last six races, underlining his ability and experience.
The 34-year-old Australian is contracted to the team until the end of the year. However, his future beyond this season remains uncertain, especially with limited opportunities available for 2025.
F1 testing shootout planned for Ricciardo and Lawson
Lawson’s prospects
The driver most likely to suffer from Red Bull’s decision to retain Perez is Daniel Ricciardo. Dr Helmut Marko has been lobbying for Liam Lawson to be given a drive, and with Ricciardo not under contract beyond this year, his position is precarious.
Lawson’s contract with Red Bull expires in the next four weeks and the team will need to offer him a firm deal to prevent him seeking opportunities elsewhere for his first full-time F1 drive.
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Driver market shake-up
Adding to the complexity of the driver market, Carlos Sainz’s departure from Ferrari and subsequent move to Williams has further limited Ricciardo’s options. Sainz, displaced by Lewis Hamilton’s imminent arrival at Ferrari, has found a new home at Williams, a team with a rich history in Formula One.
Williams were quick to express an interest in Sainz, but the Spaniard’s reluctance to sign initially caused uncertainty. This led to speculation about possible negotiations with Red Bull. However, Sainz eventually confirmed his commitment to Williams and expressed his confidence in the team’s potential for future success.
“It is no secret that this year’s driver market has been exceptionally complex for a number of reasons and that it has taken me some time to announce my decision,” said Sainz in a statement.
“However, I am fully confident that Williams is the right place for me to continue my F1 journey and I am extremely proud to be joining such a historic and successful team, where many of my childhood heroes have driven in the past and left their mark on our sport.
“The ultimate goal of getting Williams back to where it belongs, at the front of the grid, is a challenge that I embrace with excitement and positivity.”
Hamilton unhappy with Mercedes
Future implications for Ricciardo
Sainz’s move to Williams and Perez’s confirmation at Red Bull has set off a chain reaction in the driver market. Seats remain open at several teams, including Red Bull, Sauber, Alpine and Mercedes. Andrea Kimi Antonelli is currently the frontrunner to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, should Hamilton move to Ferrari as expected.
Ricciardo’s future in F1 remains in flux, with limited opportunities for a competitive seat in the coming seasons. As the driver market continues to evolve, Ricciardo’s performance in the remaining races will be crucial in determining his prospects for 2025 and beyond.
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George Russell won the 2024 Belgium Grand Prix by calling his own tyres strategy which beat his team mate Lewis Hamilton. After the race Hamilton was unimpressed believing the team should have afforded him the same strategy which would have seen him beat his team mate.
Yet after the chequered flag FIA Technical Delegate Jo Bauer issued a statement at 17.50 local time, claiming that the double weighing procedure showed that George Russell’s W15 failed to reach the minimum weight of 798kg.
The statement read: “After the race, car number 63 was weighed and its weight was 798.0kg, which is the minimum weight by TR Article 4.1. After this, fuel was drained out of the car and 2.8 litres of fuel were removed. The car was not fully drained according to the draining procedure submitted by…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
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