F1 News: Red Bull Delivers Verdict On Daniel Ricciardo Mid-Season Replacement

Saajan Jogia | Jul 30, 2024

May 5, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; RB driver Daniel Ricciardo (3) arrives in the paddock before the Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

It has been confirmed that VCARB (RB) driver Daniel Ricciardo will continue racing for Red Bull's junior team after the summer break. The decision follows a performance review of the Australian driver, who was under the threat of being replaced in the team.

According to a report by Motorsport.com following the Belgian Grand Prix, Ricciardo went through a mid-season performance review at Milton Keynes with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and senior advisor Helmut Marko.

The 34-year-old driver has had a disappointing run with VCARB this season, often being outperformed by his teammate Yuki Tsunoda. Nyck de Vries was replaced by Ricciardo around the same time last season, as the team intended to bring in a more experienced driver to elevate its position and mentor Tsunoda. Despite these intentions, Ricciardo's recent performance has not met expectations.

He joined the team with hopes that his performance would eventually secure him a coveted seat at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen. However, that prospect now seems increasingly unlikely, as Ricciardo still has much to prove, and Sergio Perez, despite facing a challenging campaign, appears to have secured his position for the foreseeable future.

It might have been Ricciardo's P10 finish at the Belgian GP that saved his VCARB seat. Over the last ten races, Ricciardo has accumulated 12 points, likely convincing the Red Bull bosses to maintain his position in the team. However, while Tsunoda secured a contract extension with the team until the end of next year, it remains uncertain whether the same can be said about Ricciardo.

Looking back at the 2024 season so far, VCARB CEO Peter Bayer recently expressed that the team continues learning from Ricciardo's expertise. He said:

“Daniel certainly has helped us tremendously.

“Looking back last year when he joined the team, he brought a whole new energy and spirit into the team, and he has been extremely helpful in supporting Yuki. Yuki has just stated very recently that he still keeps learning from Daniel.

"It's part of our job, also as a mission from the shareholders, to develop drivers. And that's what we currently do.”