Formula 1’s silly season is underway as the 2025 grid falls into place as we approach the summer break.
Red Bull still leads both championships with three-time world champion Max Verstappen, but his teammate, Sergio Perez, is under increasing pressure.
Perez has yet to win a Grand Prix this season, and he hasn’t been on the podium for the last six races. This is a drastic underachievement for a driver with his experience in a race-winning car.
He signed a new contract with the Austrian team until the end of 2026, a move which Red Bull hoped would maintain team harmony.
Although McLaren’s rapid progress in developing its car will induce anything but a harmonious atmosphere if the world champions stay under pressure, Perez’s mediocre performances will not help.
Daniel Ricciardo has been reported as a candidate to replace Perez in 2025 if he can keep up his upturn in form at RB. Two points-scoring finishes in the last three races should give him a confidence boost midway through the year.
The Australian performed admirably during his stint at Red Bull from 2014 to 2018, winning the Monaco Grand Prix in his final year and beating teammate Verstappen in the 2017 championship standings.
By contrast, since returning to Formula 1 midway through last year, he has yet to make headlines, floundering at RB as teammate Yuki Tsunoda develops.
This slump continued after his frustrating two-year stint at McLaren, where he struggled to get on terms with teammate Lando Norris.
Ricciardo’s lackluster performances don’t seem to make him an attractive prospect for a top team, so why is Red Bull considering its former driver?
The UK-based team seems to lack options. Carlos Sainz is looking for a drive but is unlikely to join Red Bull as tensions remain after his and Verstappen’s time as Toro Rosso teammates in 2015.
Tsunoda isn’t being considered by Red Bull despite improved performances in 2024. The team’s reserve driver, Liam Lawson, impressed during his brief stint at AlphaTauri alongside Tsunoda, but a jump straight to Red Bull at the front of the field may be a step too far.
Ricciardo may represent the best option out of a minimal pool of possibilities due to his experience and the stability he would provide, having already competed against Verstappen, though he has recently lacked raw speed and failed to put together multiple good performances in a row.