Daniel Ricciardo, a popular name across the modern Formula One grid, recently moved back to his previous team Red Bull as their third driver. He was part of the Austrian team from 2014 to 2018. Later he moved to Renault and then McLaren for a year. But now he is back in his old team. However, it seems hard for the Aussie to get the job of a main driver in Red Bull. The F1 team is clearly having a great time with its two drivers on the grid with multiple one-two finishes. But he is a good friend of Max Verstappen, and thus, a lot of people speculated that Ricciardo might replace Sergio Perez soon.
However, it does not seem likely to replace the Mexican at present. Checo won two out of the five races in the current season. Verstappen won the rest of the three races. It has been Red Bull’s dominance all the way in the current season. However, the fans of the Netflix show Drive To Survive expects to see Daniel Ricciardo drive in the upcoming Grands Prix. But the reigning champions may not want to mess up their plans which is really working in the current season. Hence, it might be necessary for Daniel Ricciardo to join a team where he might get a chance to drive as a main driver.
Daniel Ricciardo Might Join Alpha Tauri To Replace Nyck De Vries
Looks like team Red Bull is working on a plan to switch the Aussie to their sister team, Alpha Tauri, as a replacement for Nyck De Vries. Moreover, recently Daniel Ricciardo visited the headquarters of Alpha Tauri in Faenza, Italy. Perhaps, Helmut Marko, the team advisor, has given De Vries an ultimatum to display better performance until the Spanish Grand Prix. If not, Daniel might replace Nyck. However, sources have informed ESPN that Ricciardo is in no position to replace the Dutchman in Alpha Tauri.
If De Vries keeps performing as horribly as he has been this season, then Red Bull junior in Super Formula, Liam Lawson, is the first choice for replacing De Vries. Daniel Ricciardo has expressed his desire to return to racing on track in Formula One by next year. However, he would like to race for a front-running team like the one he is currently part of. Albeit, the Aussie was there in the meeting in the headquarters of Alpha Tauri during the Miami Grand Prix.
It Is Not Yet Clear When The Aussie Might Race In A Grand Prix Again
Meanwhile, some closer sources to Daniel Ricciardo spoke to ESPN about his Europe tour. These sources said that Daniel did not visit Faenza headquarters; instead, he attended the marriage ceremony of his two Australian friends. Ricciardo has a plan to race on track with Red Bull later this year for practice tests.
Generally, Red Bull drivers sign a contract that allows them to move to the sister team. However, Daniel Ricciardo has no such contract with the Austrian team regarding a driver’s role. The Aussie has more like a marketing role for the reigning champions. In the end, Ricciardo is widely popular and marketable due to the Netflix show, Drive To Survive.