Red Bull Racing is absolutely unstoppable this season. They are currently enjoying a winning record of 100%. On top of that, both their drivers, Max Verstappen, and Sergio Perez, have a comfortable lead in the driver’s championship standings. However, Perez has not been at his absolute best over the past few race weekends. He is facing trouble making it to the Q3 of the qualifying session, which is hurting the team in the constructors’ championship.
As a result, rumors of Sergio Perez’s mid-season exit gained momentum over the past few weeks. Red Bull has a highly talented and experienced driver in the factory, Daniel Ricciardo. He left McLaren to return to the place where his racing career kicked off. However, in a surprising turn of events, Red Bull management pulled off an unexpected move that sent the internet into a frenzy.
Red Bull Chief Dialled Helmut Marko An Hour Before He Fired Nyck De Vries!
On Tuesday, Red Bull management shook the Formula One fraternity when they announced that Daniel Ricciardo would be driving for Red Bull’s sister team, AlphaTauri, for the remainder of the 2023 season. Ricciardo replaced Nyck De Vries, who was fired mid-season due to underwhelming performance. Meanwhile, as days progress, interesting details of the overnight switch are emerging. As per multiple reports, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner also played a part in it. At the time of the announcement, the Australian driver was driving RB19 on the track of Silverstone for a mandatory Pirelli tyre test.
Daniel Ricciardo put in a flying lap which apparently was good enough to put him on the pole in a race weekend. Christian Horner, watching on the sidelines, dialed the team’s motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, in excitement. He informed him about the Aussie’s impressive run. An hour later, Marko fired De Vries over a call and replaced him with Ricciardo. It’s also important to note that Red Bull has lent Ricciardo a loan to AlphaTauri. On the other hand, the Australian driver is treating this as an opportunity to audition for the Red Bull seat next year. However, Horner has time and again assured to back Sergio Perez. Perez is still in contract till the end of 2024. Hence, it seems unlikely that Ricciardo’s “fairytale” dream will come true anytime soon.
“Nyck Cannot Be Considered A Rookie,” Helmut Marko Takes Brutal Jibe At Ex-AlphaTauri Driver
Nyck De Vries sacking from AlphaTauri has garnered a lot of criticism from the fans. He was in the midst of his first-ever full-fledged Formula One season. Hence, the fans termed the move as “extremely harsh.” Amid intense criticism, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has issued a strong statement to support his decision. He said that they did not see any progress in De Vries’ racing in the past few months.
Moreover, Marko refused to consider Nyck as a rookie. He explained that the fired driver is 28 and has gained a lot of experience while driving the cars of different Formula One teams as a test driver. Hence, in his eyes, Nyck should not be considered a rookie in any sense. He has had his opportunity, and he blew it. End of the story.