F1 News: Daniel Ricciardo Post Fuels Red Bull Rumours

Daniel Ricciardo with Red Bull?

Daniel Ricciardo's Instagram story seems to have sparked all kinds of rumors about him replacing Red Bull driver Sergio Perez in the near future. After all, the tease might be just for fun or, it could be preparing fans for a big announcement. 

The Australian driver has never failed to express his desire to take the Red Bull seat since it is the team he intends to race and retire from. With Max Verstappen's teammate Perez currently in the line of fire for his performance struggles, Ricciardo's story has fuelled the possibility of a driver swap where the Mexican driver is forced to give up his RB19 seat to Ricciardo. 

Despite having a contract with the Milton Keynes outfit until the end of 2024, Perez has been able to score just five points in the last three races in Singapore, Japan, and Qatar. Ricciardo on the other hand was forced to end his F1 run temporarily, after suffering an injury to his left hand in an incident during the Dutch GP qualifying. 

Several reports and rumors suggest that Perez may not be able to secure his seat for the next season, especially after taking into account how particular Red Bull has been with its drivers, including AlphaTauri. Not to forget the most recent ousting of Nyck de Vries on performance grounds, who was replaced by Ricciardo. 

Ricciardo's Instagram post is just another picture of his Schuberth crash helmet, shot from the back. However, what is important to note is that the protective gear has the Red Bull symbol on it, thus pushing fans to come to funny, thoughtful, and surprising conclusions on Reddit. 

Here are a few interesting comments from fans that offer different perspectives:

One fan gave an obvious reaction:

"Daniel RB 2024 confirmed."

After Austin or Mexico?

"There will be an announcement after Mexico for sure"

Interesting point:

"He's a Red Bull employee "on loan" to AT so I don't see why not."

Very interesting:

"Settle down ffs, Red Bull is a marketing firm that also makes a drink, Daniel Ricciardo is a marketing tool and a “3rd driver” for PR stuff, his hob did change slightly when he took the Alpha Tauri seat but Alpha Tauri are still Red Bull.

"Sebastian Buemi races for Toyota in WEC and I forget which team in FE but he still has the Red Bull logo on bim because of sponsorships which is just an advertising tactic

"All this is just Red Bull doing what they do best, marketing, and unfortunately in todays world, Social Media plays a monumental role in marketing.

"This shit is how rumours and chinese whispers start"

Taking all viewpoints into consideration, could the post indeed hint at a future driver swap for Red Bull? Or, is Ricciardo hinting at something that we don't know of just yet? 

F1 Rumour: Sergio Perez To Announce Early Retirement At Mexican Grand Prix

Or, could it just be another reassurance post suggesting that he is indeed going to be back in his AT04 for the United States Grand Prix?