Ricciardo Told He's 'Too Slow' To Challenge For Red Bull Seat By Helmut Marko

Friday, 22 March 2024 at 21:30

Daniel Ricciardo had a challenging start to the 2024 season, and the pressure is seemingly coming from every side.

The Australian driver likely didn't even expect himself to be on the grid in 2024 after he learned during the 2022 season that he wouldn't have a seat in 2023, despite previously having a signed contract.

Still, an opportunity arose in RB, and Ricciardo took it. However, so far, he failed to significantly outperform his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, as both may be potential candidates for a seat in Red Bull.

With Sergio Perez's future not clear, the second seat in the Austrian team has often been discussed, and Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has been one of the loudest voices in this discussion.

Recently, Marko talked to Sky Germany, discussing the two RB drivers, and their chances at Red Bull seat, even though Ricciardo previously said that fighting for a seat in Red Bull is not something he focuses on.

"There’s a lot at stake for [Tsunoda and Ricciardo]. Both might be hoping for a seat at Red Bull, and one should be well ahead of the other. So far Ricciardo is a bit behind. But let’s put it this way: Tsunoda’s qualifying speed is okay. But in the race, both are too slow."

With the top five teams currently seemingly way ahead of the rest of the grid in F1, every point-scoring opportunity counts, and that's why Marko thinks that RB could have used their chances to score points in the first two races of the season, which they left empty-handed.

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"I think one point would have been possible in each of the first two races. It’s very difficult to score points behind the top five [teams] and, when you have an opportunity, you can’t afford to make mistakes."

When further discussing the second Red Bull seat, the 80-year-old clarified that Sergio Perez's position seems to be safe at the moment; however, with the Mexican driver now 34 years old, the seat discussion is mostly tied to the future.

"Sergio is in a very good position at the moment. He has delivered two very good races and he’s second in the championship. The question of who should replace Perez doesn’t really arise. But it’s about the future."

Unfortunately for Ricciardo, he's of the same age as the Mexican driver, and apart from being "too slow," according to Marko, the Australian driver may be also too old for one last season with the team in which he excelled in the past.

"Perez is no longer the youngest, nor is Ricciardo. And if you then take other aspects into account, another driver could certainly be included in this process."