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David Coulthard worried £8m-a-year driver could be next to follow Daniel Ricciardo out of F1

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Visa Cash App RB driver Daniel Ricciardo cut an emotional figure at the end of the Singapore Grand Prix.

The multiple race-winning Australian wasn’t in a hurry to get out of his RB at the end of Sunday’s race and was nearly brought to tears on several occasions while speaking to the media.

Daniel Ricciardo has had a fantastic Formula 1 career and while he may wonder if leaving Red Bull when he did at the end of the 2018 season, he’s got a record in the sport many would be envious of.

The expectation is Ricciardo is replaced by Liam Lawson in time for the United States Grand Prix in Austin after an impromptu autumn break.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

It’s another natural point for a driver’s time in the sport to come to an end similar to the summer break with Lawson having several weeks to fully prepare for the last six races of the season.

Speaking on Channel 4’s coverage after the Singapore Grand Prix, David Coulthard was discussing another driver who might be in danger of dropping out of Formula 1.

Sergio Perez had another race weekend to forget in Singapore as he watched teammate Max Verstappen join both McLaren drivers on the podium with just a single extra point to his name.

F1 Grand Prix Of Singapore
Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

A poor qualifying session saw him battling Franco Colapinto and Nico Hulkenberg for much of the race and ultimately he couldn’t find a way past the German to improve on P10.

Coulthard now wonders how much longer Perez might have in Formula 1 if he doesn’t start improving his results and may end up suffering the same fate as Ricciardo.

David Coulthard worried about Sergio Perez’s Formula 1 future

Asked about the £8m-a-year Mexican driver’s display over the past two races, Coulthard said: “No, look, he did brilliantly in Baku but again as they say, one swallow doesn’t make a summer and one good result is not what you expect from clearly the number two driver in that team.

“There was so much relief off the back of Baku and then here it’s a bit back to reality.

“If he doesn’t keep getting some solid points for the remainder of the year, then like Daniel Ricciardo, it looks like he’s on the way out of the door, that could be the same situation for Perez.”

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname

Red Bull aren’t short of options when it comes to replacing their drivers and below Lawson in the Junior Team, Isack Hadjar is challenging for the Formula 2 title.

Christian Horner is also very excited about Arvid Lindblad who had an impressive maiden F3 campaign this year.

Ted Kravitz shares Sergio Perez ‘problem’ Red Bull are facing

Although Perez hasn’t been in contention to win the Drivers’ Championship for a long time, his chances of securing an unlikely title ended in Singapore.

He can no longer close the gap to his teammate which is a worrying statistic given there are still six Grand Prix and three Sprint Races remaining.

Red Bull have also lost the lead in the Constructors’ Championship and McLaren are extending their advantage every weekend with Ferrari also closing the gap.

Ted Kravitz believes Red Bull have a problem with Perez that they need to find a solution for quickly.

There’s a scenario where Perez also loses his seat at Red Bull and Hadjar is promoted from F2 in 2025.

While it’s unlikely at this stage, Red Bull have made more surprising decisions in the past, but the Mexican needs to up his game to fend off speculation about his future.