Formula 1 reporter Lawrence Barretto believes Daniel Ricciardo “could move” to Red Bull next season, if he delivers for AlphaTauri and if Sergio Perez falters.
Ricciardo returned to Red Bull’s sister team to replace Nyck de Vries for the remainder of 2023, from the Hungarian Grand Prix onwards.
Since returning to the Faenza-based team, the Australian has shown glimpses of excellence, with him having beaten Yuki Tsunoda on his returning race to the sport.
Whilst he was then beaten by Tsunoda at the recent Belgian Grand Prix, the early signs do suggest that working behind-the-scenes at Red Bull for the first half of 2023 has helped the Aussie rediscover his confidence.
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He’s openly admitted that his goal is to race for Red Bull again, something team boss Christian Horner has recognised.
However, it’s widely expected that a seat at Red Bull won’t become vacant until 2025, with the Austrians set to honour Perez’s deal which expires at the end of next season.
Despite this, Barretto believes Red Bull could change things for 2024, if Perez struggles and Ricciardo thrives.
“AlphaTauri are enduring their toughest season since a rebrand for 2020, with the Italian team languishing at the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship – and yet despite their struggles, seats at their operation are among the most sought after,” Barretto wrote on the Formula 1 website.
“With Laurent Mekies set to take over as team principal, having been sporting director at Ferrari, and Peter Bayer stepping in as CEO, a new era is dawning at Faenza.
“The team is expected to have a very close relationship with sister team Red Bull, which will likely see them take a significant amount of parts from the reigning World Champions (as permitted by the rules) and that in turn should make them a more competitive operation.
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“It’s part of the reason why Daniel Ricciardo would have preferred to return to F1 with the team next season but instead seized the opportunity ahead of Hungary when they parted ways with Nyck de Vries.
“The Australian wants a return to Red Bull – but first he must sufficiently impress at AlphaTauri. The most likely scenario is that he excels at the Italian team, which sees him keep the seat for 2024 and puts him in a very strong position to replace Sergio Perez next to Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2025.
“But if Perez struggles in the second half of the season and Ricciardo delivers, they could move him up next season.”