Red Bull identify top Sergio Perez successor with mid-season change on the cards

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Red Bull will look to bring AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo back into the factory team should Sergio Perez fail to improve his performances over the 2024 Formula 1 season.

That is according to Lawrence Barretto, who reports that Red Bull are not afraid to axe Perez mid-season next year. The 33-year-old is under immense pressure to keep his drive with the squad from Milton Keynes. But team principal Christian Horner is not planning a change yet.

Red Bull will give Perez a chance to turn his fortunes around after an underwhelming season this year. He may sit second in the drivers’ championship with 223 points so far this year. But the Mexican has only scored slightly over half of the 400 held by teammate Max Verstappen.

Red Bull are prepared to replace Perez if he does not improve

Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren making gains has brought their drivers closer to Perez during recent races, too. Even though the Guadalajara native drives one of the most dominant cars in Formula 1 history. Verstappen is also showing what Adrian Newey’s machine is capable of.

So, if Perez cannot show that his problems this year were not just a blip, Red Bull will look to bring Ricciardo back. The 34-year-old has rebuilt his reputation with the team this year after returning as their reserve driver before stepping in mid-season and delivering at AlphaTauri.

Ricciardo is Red Bull’s preferred candidate to succeed Perez next year, should Horner decide to change their driver line-up. He may even feature in another mid-season switch with Red Bull not opposed to dropping Perez before his contract ends at the end of the 2024 season.

Ricciardo’s rebuilt reputation has him atop Horner’s shortlist

Ricciardo won seven Grand Prix for Red Bull between 2014 and 2018 after stepping up from AlphaTauri during the team’s time as Toro Rosso. But, despite winning the 2021 Italian GP, the Australian’s time at McLaren over 2021 and 2022 was a disaster after leaving Renault.

Failing to get to grips with how the McLaren handled on corner entry – which is where the Perth native thrives – ultimately left Ricciardo without a race seat for 2023. But he showed Red Bull his merits as a reserve driver and performed admirably in his races for AlphaTauri.

“It was great to see Daniel hasn’t lost any form while away from racing and that the strides he has been making in his sim sessions translate on track,” Horner told F1’s website in July following a Pirelli tyre test. “His times during the tyre test were extremely competitive.”

Ricciardo has so far only driven two Grand Prix for AlphaTauri in 2023 after needing surgery in August. He broke his hand in a crash in FP2 at the Dutch GP when avoiding Oscar Piastri’s stricken McLaren. But Ricciardo’s pace in Hungary and Belgium sealed him a 2023 race seat.