Fresh twist puts Ricciardo in frame for F1 revival

1 year ago 121

Red Bull elder advisor Helmut Marko has fixed the strongest denotation yet that Daniel Ricciardo is successful contention for the the team's 2nd contention spot alongside Max Verstappen.

Ricciardo volition get his archetypal sensation of a Red Bull F1 car successful 5 years erstwhile helium conducts a tyre trial for Pirelli pursuing adjacent month's British Grand Prix astatine Silverstone, and past different aboriginal successful the twelvemonth astatine Monza – the tract of his celebrated triumph for McLaren successful the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.

In the interview, Marko admitted the squad would usage the tests to "evaluate" Ricciardo's pace, with an oculus towards a imaginable replacement for Sergio Perez.

"We volition person Ricciardo successful the car for 3 days aft Silverstone astatine the tyre trial and past you tin measure wherever Ricciardo truly stands," Marko told Austrian broadcaster ORF.

Ricciardo astatine the Miami Grand Prix earlier this year. (Getty)

Perez' presumption successful the 2nd spot was thought to beryllium harmless until his signifier fell disconnected a cliff aft the Miami Grand Prix.

Following his 2nd triumph of the twelvemonth astatine the Azerbaijan Grand Prix successful precocious April, Perez trailed Verstappen by conscionable 8 points successful the World Championship and looked to beryllium a genuine contender.

He would again basal connected the podium successful 2nd spot adjacent clip retired successful Miami, but since past has qualified extracurricular the top-10 and missed the podium astatine each of the past 3 races astatine Monaco, Barcelona and Montreal. The Red Bull is acold and distant the quickest car connected the F1 grid.

The shortage successful the title present lies astatine 69 points – astir 3 full races.

Sergio Perez connected the mode to his triumph astatine the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. (Francois Nel/Getty Images)

While it would instrumentality a monumental illness for Perez to outgo Red Bull the constructors satellite title – they pb Mercedes by 154 points – his signifier slump hasn't gone unnoticed by Red Bull powerbrokers.

"(Perez) archetypal people was two, 3 years, which would beryllium much than helium planned anyway, and you conscionable person to support options unfastened for the succession," Marko said of the Mexican, who joined the squad for the 2021 season.

Marko's usage of succession is simply a cardinal indicator they are readying for beingness beyond Perez. While Max Verstappen is contracted to the squad until astatine slightest the extremity of 2028, Red Bull intelligibly don't spot Perez successful their semipermanent plans beyond his existent contract, which expires astatine the extremity of 2024.

Red Bull person successful the past been ruthless with their operator swaps – conscionable inquire Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon – truthful Perez would beryllium entitled to beryllium feeling somewhat nervous.

Since helium near the athletics astatine the extremity of past season, Ricciardo has maintained helium would lone instrumentality to the athletics with a apical team.

Daniel Ricciardo during a spot fitting with Red Bull earlier this year. (Getty Images)

However, with Perez' declaration moving done until adjacent year, reports are emerging from the paddock helium whitethorn walk a twelvemonth with AlphaTauri, who are presently languishing connected the bottommost of the constructors championship.

Yuki Tsunoda has been showing promising form, but the velocity of erstwhile Formula E satellite champion Nyck De Vries has been disappointing.

Putting Ricciardo successful astatine AlphaTauri – the squad with which helium drove for successful his archetypal afloat twelvemonth successful F1 successful 2012 – mightiness connected insubstantial look similar a backwards step. But it would springiness the squad an experienced caput alongside Tsunoda, and would beryllium a mode to get Ricciardo contention acceptable and for Red Bull to decently measure his form.

Having said that, Lewis Hamilton is yet to formally re-sign with Mercedes (despite some helium and the squad for months maintaining they're lone days distant from doing), truthful unusual things whitethorn yet hap successful the F1 silly season.

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