Team Red Bull is ruling the current F1 era, and it all comes down to the car and the driver combo. The Austrian team used to enjoy hegemony from 2010 to 2013 in the sport. It was the time of Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull with a superior car. However, their hegemony ended when Mercedes took over the throne in the turbo hybrid era. Toto Wolff’s team had the fastest car every season in that period from 2014 to 2021. That era helped Lewis Hamilton become the most successful driver in the history of the sport. Similarly, in the new era, Max Verstappen is fortunate enough to drive the fastest car on the grid.
The Milton Keynes team is back again at the top since last year. They are on their way to win back to back constructor titles. But the dominant teams have a one-star driver who becomes irreplaceable. For instance, Red Bull had Vettel in the early 2010s, and later, Mercedes enjoyed the most success with Hamilton. Now, Red Bull is enjoying dominance again with Max Verstappen. But what about the second driver of this dominant team? There is a rumor that the current Alpha Tauri driver is a contender for grabbing the Red Bull seat again in 2025. But the Aussie’s age can play a difference.
Christian Horner Feels Age Won’t Be An Issue With Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo will be 36 in 2025. However, Red Bull boss Christian Horner does not think age will be an issue for the Aussie. Horner has a lot of faith in Daniel’s caliber. After a long time, Ricciardo returned to F1 racing, but he did impress the Red Bull boss. Briefly, he was part of Horner’s team as the third driver this season. But he did not get any chance to drive in any Grand Prix. However, after replacing Nyck De Vries in Alpha Tauri, Ricciardo is back racing. As per Speedcafe, Christian Horner mentioned his age is not a barrier.
He can be a permanent driver of Red Bull from 2025. Moreover, Christian Horner mentioned if Checo delivers, then they will stick with the Mexican. If not, then there are many drivers, not only in Alpha Tauri, who is eager to drive a Red Bull car. But the team advisor Helmut Marko feels Daniel Ricciardo’s entry has helped Alpha Tauri in terms of motivation and mood. Helmut Marko believes the Aussie has performed better than De Vries to reduce the gap with his teammate Yuki Tsunoda. The gap is significantly less, if not on par.
It Is Always Too Much Pressure For Teammates Of Max Verstappen In Red Bull
Sergio Perez won four races so far in the last one and a half years. He showed promise at the beginning of the current season but could not hold on to his consistency. On the other hand, Max Verstappen has won 25 races so far since last year. Not many drivers can do that, and hence, it puts a lot of pressure on the teammate of the one who can.
Since Max Verstappen joined the Milton Keynes team, he had different teammates. Daniel Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly were Max’s teammates in Red Bull prior to Sergio Perez. All these drivers complained about the pressure of being the Dutchman’s teammate. Checo is feeling it pretty well at present. However, he would like to stay part of the champion side up till 2024.
