F1 News: Sergio Perez Seat Still Under Pressure from Daniel Ricciardo - Admits Red Bull Chief

Alex Harrington | Oct 3, 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-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Sergio Perez finds himself under mounting pressure, with Daniel Ricciardo surprisingly being a potential contender for his seat within the Red Bull team. Christian Horner, the team principal of the Milton Keynes outfit, has confirmed the ongoing evaluation of his drivers and potential changes during his recent appearance on the F1 Nation podcast. This comes in the wake of Ricciardo's departure from Red Bull’s sister team, RB, and Liam Lawson stepping in to replcae him, starting with the upcoming United States Grand Prix.

the Australian driver was confirmed to leave the team after the Singapore Grand Prix, making room for Lawson, whose previous stand-in performances were impressive enough to solidify his position. However, Horner has indicated that Ricciardo could still be a part of the Red Bull family, atleast in some form of ambassadorial capacity.

“We’ve made it very clear that we want him to remain in an ambassadorial capacity with the team. Of course, one never really knows. If Liam doesn’t get the job done, if Checo [Perez] doesn’t get the job done… We know what Daniel’s capability is,” Horner teased, leaving the door ajar for a possible return should the news driver lineup not yield the desired results.

Reflecting on Perez's situation, his performance in the 2024 season has been inconsistent, leading to scrutiny and increased pressure to prove his mettle. As Red Bull assesses its lineup, the evaluations of both Perez and Lawson will be ongoing.

“Daniel is just a brilliant character, a brilliant human being. He lights up a room when he walks into it, he’s got that infectious smile. I hope he stays around the sport," Horner said.

Ricciardo’s career trajectory, marked by memorable highs, remains a touchpoint of fond recollection and mild regret for Horner.

“Daniel’s honest about that and he knows in his heart that he gave it his best shot. He’s had a great career, a great run, but unfortunately, the next chapter wasn’t to be.”

While Lawson has an opportunity to secure his role with consistent performances for the rest of the season, Perez must also demonstrate reliability to retain his seat which has become increasingly under pressure. Meanwhile, Ricciardo’s potential return to racing remains an open possibility, although we have heard differing stories from within the Red Bull fold.

Advisor Helmut Marko said the following, via Speedweek:

"The necessary performance only came twice, once with a fourth place in the Miami sprint [race] this year and last year in Mexico,” he admitted. “Otherwise that speed was not there, and the consistency was not there either.

“The whole performance that would have justified a promotion to Red Bull Racing was missing. But that was the whole point of the whole thing.”