Tiff Needell names surprising 145-race driver he would like to see race for RB in 2025

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While there is a lot of speculation over whether Sergio Perez will keep his seat at Red Bull for the remainder of the season, there is also questions over Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 future.

The Australian rejoined Red Bull sister team Visa Cash App RB midway through last season, following six months spent on the sidelines because McLaren decided to end his contract at the end of 2022.

Ricciardo treated his F1 comeback as another opportunity to impress and show Red Bull bosses that he is still good enough to race for their top team and challenge for titles, having prevously won seven races with the team between 2014 and 2018.

So far Ricciardo has not had the strongest season, with teammate Yuki Tsunoda being the faster driver by both out-qualfiying him (9-3) and outscoring him with 20 points versus 11 for Ricciardo this year.

This has raised questions over whether Ricciardo will keep his seat in the future, although former F1 driver Tiff Needell believes Red Bull should promote Tsunoda to Red Bull and take on a surprise driver who has completed 145 races instead when speaking on the Lovecars on the Grid podcast.

Tiff Needell thinks Esteban Ocon should drive for RB

Esteban Ocon has become a free agent in the F1 driver market after deciding to part ways with Alpine at the end of the season.

It follows a series of high tensions within the team after Ocon collided with teammate Pierre Gasly at the Monaco GP and put a point-paying position at risk for the team.

In the aftermath, Williams team principal James Vowles said he was ‘not a team player’ which is why they did not show any interest in employing him in place of Logan Sargeant.

It is expected that Ocon will sign for Haas to partner 19-year-old British driver Oliver Bearman for next season, but Needell believes there could be another avenue for the 2021 Hungarian GP race winner.

Needell said: “I’d rather see Yuki go in and put Liam into RB, then someone else alongside him, maybe Ocon? I still think Ricciardo needs to go on the PR tour and not have another seat for another year.”

Could Esteban Ocon drive for a Red Bull team?

The Frenchman is one of the few proven race winners still technically available on the grid, which gives him some leverage in the busy F1 driver market.

Ocon is primarily managed by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, which is why links to engine partner Williams came to light when he announced he would leave Alpine.

READ MORE: Alpine driver Esteban Ocon’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Wolff is attempting to court Max Verstappen away from Red Bull to replace Lewis Hamilton with another star driver, so a swap with Ocon could theoritically happen. It is more than likely Ocon has got his sights set on the drive at Haas, considering it is his best option to continue scoring points in the midfield.

If Red Bull decide to replace Perez midway through the season, it could see Tsunoda being promoted after Liam Lawson failed to impress in a recent test at Silverstone. Red Bull chiefs are also keen to let Ricciardo see out the season before making any decision on his future.