Alan Jones believes 34-year-old F1 driver would be so popular with Ferrari fans

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Australian Formula 1 legend Alan Jones has suggested that AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo would be a popular driver among Ferrari fans if the Italian team decided to replace one of their current drivers.

Daniel Ricciardo’s future in Formula 1 has been a hot topic over the past 12 months after losing his seat at McLaren.

Speaking to Nine’s Wide World of Sport, Jones shared his thoughts on the 34-year-old’s current situation.

Although there’s going to be no changes on the grid heading into 2024, that won’t be the case at the start of the following season.

The majority of the grid sees their contracts end in 12 months and therefore nearly every team is keeping a close eye on the driver market.

Some of the most high-profile drivers fighting for their current seats include Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz while Fernando Alonso’s deal at Aston Martin also comes to an end.

It means the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari will be looking to see who performs well in 2024 before deciding on their driver line-up.

Alan Jones believes that Ricciardo would be a popular choice at Ferrari should they decide to replace Sainz.

It’s his old teammate Lando Norris who has previously been linked with a move to the Italian team.

However, Ricciardo will want to be in a works car as quickly as possible with AlphaTauri unlikely to be challenging for race wins and pole positions any time soon.

Jones says Ricciardo would be popular with Ferrari fans

In the report, Jones makes it clear he thinks Ricciardo’s Italian last name could make him a popular driver with the Tifosi.

However, he also believes it’s very unlikely that Ferrari let either Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz go before saying: “(The car is) a pseudo bloody Red Bull anyway, and I think there will be a lot of carryover information from the Red Bull team in to AlphaTauri.

“I think you’ll see a much improved Daniel … he’s going to go back at the beginning of next year with a different mindset.”

Ferrari are unlikely to heed Jones’s advice and sign Ricciardo given he’s not blown the grid away with his performances since replacing Nyck de Vries.

That may change in 2024 but given how many drivers are looking for a seat at a top team, Ricciardo will have to significantly outperform his car to be considered.

He’s driven for some of the best teams in Formula 1 and adding Ferrari to his CV would be particularly impressive.

Only time will tell what direction Ferrari decide to go in when it comes to their long-term line-up.