We are moving towards the end of the Formula 1 adventure of a very expert driver, who however does not seem to fit into his team’s plans
The 2024 World Cup Formula 1 is finally coming to life. Before the summer break there will be several very interesting races, which could further delineate the hierarchies in the drivers’ standings. It must be said that the Red Bull always has a certain advantage over its rivals, as well as Max Verstappenwhich after the triumph in Canada seems destined to dominate the second part of the season.
The fight for the podium will also be intriguing, with the riders of Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin will battle it out for a place of honor. It is therefore inevitable that the results of this season will also influence the future choices of the various teams, which in view of 2025 could make several changes to the line-ups.
The transfer already made official of Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes to Ferrari could in fact facilitate a sort of Domino effect among Formula 1 drivers, effectively opening the market for next year. Some protagonists obviously risk being left out of the official teams: in particular in the last few hours it seems to be going towards welcome back to an experienced and highly esteemed driver, who is unlikely to be at the starting line of the 2025 world championship.
Red Bull has chosen: goodbye to the expert driver, we will focus on young talents
The driver we are talking about, who should be set aside by his team, is Daniel Ricciardo. That is, the Australian, of Italian origins, born in 1989, considered one of the most experienced protagonists of F1. In the past he was also linked to Ferrari, as a possible partner for Charles Leclerc, before the choice fell on the Spaniard Carlos Sainz.
Ricciardo he returned to the world of racing in the middle of the 2023 season, when he was called by AlphaTauri (now called Racing Bulls) to replace the disappointing Dutch Nyck de Vries in the middle of the World Cup. Not without some difficulty, the Australian has obtained confirmation in RB for this season. But the risk is that in the near future there will be no room for him.
The team managed by the Red Bull holding company has communicated its decision. There Racing Bulls will focus on young talents to be brought to fruition in Formula 1 with calm and confidence, effectively giving Ricciardo the boot. These are the words of the consultant Helmut Marko a ‘Small newspaper’, which sound like an internal revolution: “The shareholders have made it clear that this is a junior team and we must act accordingly. We will have to bring in a young driver soon, and this would be it Lawson“.
A double insult for Daniel Ricciardowho primarily hoped to be recalled by Red Bull (for which he had already raced from 2014 to 2018) to replace Sergio Perezwho instead recently obtained confirmation. Now the Australian risks being left out of RB too, seeing his place as a full-time driver in F1 for next year slip away.
