Ricciardo stays put, survives mid-season Red Bull shakeup
After a tumultuous first half of the season and doubts about his F1 future, Daniel Ricciardo will return to the fray at the end of August and remain with Visa Cash App RB through the remainder of the 2024 F1 season.
Red Bull's top brass came together in a meeting on Monday at Milton Keynes, and while the main point on the docket was Sergio Perez’s fate with the team, which was resolved in favor of the Mexican, Ricciardo’s tenure with RB was also on the day’s agenda.
While Yuki Tsunoda, eager for a promotion to Red Bull, will remain where he is, Ricciardo's future was more precarious.
The Australian's season has been a rollercoaster ride, showcasing flashes of brilliance but lacking consistent strong results.
Nevertheless, Ricciardo emerged as a potential mid-season replacement for Perez at Red Bull, and conversely, faced the possibility of being himself replaced by Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson.
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However, the Aussie’s productive efforts in Belgium last weekend, that yielded a championship point, seem to have swayed Christian Horner and Helmut Marko’s decision.
With signs of improvement, the team sees no immediate need for change.
Red Bull has consistently emphasized their commitment to Ricciardo's success, acknowledging his early-season struggles but pledging to help him adapt to the car.
This week’s renewed faith gives Ricciardo a crucial opportunity to prove his worth in the back-half of 2024. The pressure is now on the 35-year-old F1 veteran to capitalize on Red Bull’s continued support.
Ahead of last weekend’s race at Spa-Francorchamps, it came to light that Ricciardo and Lawson would both be in action at Imola on Wednesday.
Initially, it was reported that the pair would engage in a shootout at the wheel of a 2022-spec AlphaTauri car, potentially to decide Perez’s successor in the event of a mid-season swap.
But Horner clarified that the track day is nothing more than a scheduled filming day, insisting the runs are “all about content”.
“It’s a filming day, so they’ll be filming. It’s all about content,” Horner said.
“It is in the current car, because you can do 200 km in the current car. So they’ll both be doing plenty of filming.”
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