Christian Horner and Helmut Marko don’t agree on £105k-a-week driver being best Sergio Perez replacement

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Christian Horner and Helmut Marko reportedly do not agree on whether Daniel Ricciardo is the best option if they decide they want to replace Sergio Perez.

The Red Bull power struggle has been one of the biggest talking points of the season but hasn’t affected results on the track.

Speaking on The Race Podcast, journalist Edd Straw believes the two senior key figures have different ideas on who’s the best driver to take the team forward.

Horner and Marko do not agree on Ricciardo as Red Bull option

It’s safe to say that Helmut Marko isn’t a person who keeps his opinions to himself in the paddock.

Technically in charge of the driver development programme, Marko is also keeping a close eye on Red Bull’s four drivers on the grid.

Unfortunately, that means he’s well aware of the £105,000-a-week driver’s struggles in the RB car and already told him he needs to improve soon.

Yuki Tsunoda has outperformed his teammate this year although he’s not expected to be an option for Red Bull, especially with Perez earning back-to-back second places already this year.

Horner and Marko don’t agree on much right now and Daniel Ricciardo’s future is another issue between Red Bull’s two key staff members.

Thankfully, as long as Perez keeps finishing runner-up to Max Verstappen, it’s not a call they’re going to have to make.

Fractious Red Bull camp unlikely to help Ricciardo

Talking about the driver situation within the team, Straw said: “It’s an interesting situation because if Red Bull dispends with [Sergio] Perez and decide they want a solid number two driver, the bar’s not super high for [Daniel] Ricciardo to clear but he’s still not got to that.

“I do also think – we asked why [Helmut] Marko was talking about this – and I think there is a connection to the whole Red Bull politics thing because as I understand it, Horner is a little bit more behind pushing above Ricciardo over and above Marko.

“So, there’s perhaps a little bit of a Marko seeing Project Ricciardo revival being a Christian Horner-driven thing rather than a Helmut Marko-driven thing.

“There’s also that dimension there, but to be quite honest, I don’t think at this stage you can make a case for throwing Ricciardo in.”

Marko and Horner might be more concerned about Ricciardo’s F1 future rather than having to agree on whether he should earn a promotion.

They have shown time and again that they will not hesitate to let a driver go if their results aren’t good enough, as Nyck de Vries will attest to.

After Liam Lawson’s brilliant five-race cameo last year too, there’s a driver ready to step into the car immediately should either Ricciardo or Tsunoda lose their seat.

The race in Melbourne will give an even better indication of whether the car is underperforming or the drivers.