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Damon Hill suggested he wouldn't be surprised if Max Verstappen were pushing Red Bull to replace Sergio Perez with Daniel Ricciardo.
The majority of speculations suggest that Max Verstappen, along with his team, is pushing Red Bull to keep Sergio Perez, as it could be in his interest to have a teammate who obeys orders and poses no threat to him.
In his latest podcast appearance, though, Damon Hill offered a different perspective. He suggested that the Dutchman might like to have Daniel Ricciardo as his teammate instead.
He based his statement on the video that went viral after the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix. The video showed the Dutchman and the Honey Badger leaving the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps together and having a perfect time. The 1996 Champion said:
"When you see pictures of Max leaving the circuit in the helicopter with Daniel Ricciardo and they're all smiles, you get the feeling that Max would be quite happy with Ricciardo as a teammate."
The Belgian Grand Prix was the final race before the summer break, and it was another race in which Perez didn't perform as Red Bull expected him to.
Combined with footage of Ricciardo talking to Red Bull bosses, the video mentioned above triggered a new wave of speculations that the 34-year-old RB driver would replace Checo in the seat alongside the triple World Champion in Red Bull. Hill continued:
"If his [Verstappen's] power is such in that team where he can almost influence that decision, then I do think the pressure is on to get Ricciardo in there."
Hill also pinpointed the progress that the Australian driver has made throughout the 2024 season. Although he started with an underwhelming performance, he showed more strength in the last couple of races.
"They’ve given him a second lease of life by encouraging him, and his performances have been getting stronger, there’s no question about it."
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