Red Bull held meeting with ‘unreal’ driver over 2024 seat but ‘it didn’t appear in the press’

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Red Bull opted to keep Daniel Ricciardo in his seat at Visa Cash App RB for the 2024 Formula 1 season, but there was one driver in the running that went unnoticed by the media.

Ricciardo made his return to F1 after his sacking from McLaren in 2022 with AlphaTauri the following year, replacing Nyck de Vries after just 10 Grand Prix.

It did not take long for the Aussie to return to the sidelines as he suffered a broken wrist at the Dutch Grand Prix. Reserve driver Liam Lawson was drafted in to drive the second AlphaTauri alongside Yuki Tsunoda as Ricciardo was ruled out for five races.

Lawson put in some impressive performances in that time, including in Singapore where he scored his first points in F1 with ninth. Despite this, Ricciardo returned to his seat at the United States Grand Prix and was signed to the team for 2024 as they rebranded to RB.

Lawson was considered for the full-time seat but was demoted back to his reserve driver role – he would later replace Ricciardo after his sacking at the Singapore Grand Prix. But according to Pedro Boesel, there was one driver Red Bull had discussions with that no one picked up on.

Red Bull had ‘chosen’ Enzo Fittipaldi to race with RB in 2024 after a ‘meeting’

Boesel is an investor and advisor for Enzo Fittipaldi, the grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi. The two entered a partnership in 2023 when the Brazilian was part of the Red Bull junior team.

The 23-year-old is currently in his third full season in Formula 2 where he is sat 12th in the standings with two rounds to go. Clement Novalak labelled Fittipaldi as ‘unreal’ on Instagram after he took his first and only win of 2024 thus far in Jeddah.

Fittipaldi lost his spot in the Red Bull academy at the end of 2023 after the team cut down its capacity of drivers, but he has continued to be sponsored by the Austrian energy drinks giant.

According to Boesel via Motorsport Brasil, Fittipaldi had agreed to sign with RB for the 2024 season after a meeting with the team, but the deal ended up falling through.

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

“Not many people know, but last year he had a meeting with a high-ranking Red Bull Summit,” he said. “He was called for this meeting and there they said they had chosen him to drive this year, like in AlphaTauri, in Racing Bulls.

“Then he tested Formula 1, it didn’t appear in the press either.”

Who will race at the Red Bull teams in the 2025 season?

RB have the final seat to be filled for the 2025 season, with it being highly anticipated that Lawson will be signed full-time given his impressive performances so far. The Kiwi driver finished ninth in Austin and last time out at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

But with Sergio Perez’s ongoing struggles at Red Bull, the Mexican could find himself out of the team come next season. It will cost Red Bull £15.7m to release Perez from his contract as the Milton Keynes-based outfit are considering their options for 2025.

If Perez is sacked, it is expected one of the RB drivers – Lawson or Tsunoda – will get the nod to drive with Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen, with Lawson being tipped as the ‘number one’ option to replace the Mexican.

Franco Colapinto has been heavily linked with a move to Red Bull after Christian Horner confirmed his interest in the Argentine in Sao Paulo. The 21-year-old has impressed at Williams in 2024 and is looking to continue his development in F1 next year.