General
Marko raises eyebrows after Ricciardo visit: 'Nothing is certain'
- Cas van de Kleut
Daniel Ricciardo returned to AlphaTauri two races before the summer break. The Australian has left a good impression in the races he has been in action, and there are already rumours that he might replace Perez after this season. Helmut Marko, the top advisor who deals with seat allocation at Red Bull and AlphaTauri, went for some dinner with Ricciardo during the summer break. The Austrian also told Kleinezeitung.at that he cannot guarantee that Perez will still be in the Red Bull next year.
Perez is having a difficult season at Red Bull Racing. The Mexican often has to come back from difficult positions due to poor qualifying, and he does not always succeed. Despite this, the Mexican does stand second in the championship, and with a 40-point lead over Fernando Alonso, he seems to be safe for the time being.
Perez still at Red Bull in 2024?
However, Marko cannot guarantee that Perez will still be in Red Bull next year: "Nothing is 100 per cent certain in Formula 1, there simply is no such thing. There are always performance-related situations somewhere that need to be talked about. We'll take a look at it and discuss how to proceed in Zandvoort, then we'll know more."
Dinner Marko and Ricciardo
So Perez still has no certainty on the seat, and a dinner with Ricciardo naturally reignites rumours of a Perez replacement. "Daniel, he has a very positive personality, a successful career and incredible experience. His drive and power have provided a real jolt to AlphaTauri. It was a real motivational injection."