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Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has explained that the decision involving Daniel Ricciardo potentially driving for AlphaTauri will come down to the latter team. The Red Bull junior team has two drivers who will be out of their contracts at the end of the 2023 F1 season.
Yuki Tsunoda has continued to impress and show progression for AlphaTauri this season. However, Nyck de Vries has been unable to keep up with his Japanese teammate in his rookie season.
As a result, have been question marks over the Dutch driver's future with the team. Helmut Marko also recently stated that De Vries was not a choice that Christian Horner was completely on board with.
With Sergio Perez's contract running until the end of the 2024 F1 season, Red Bull could possibly look at Daniel Ricciardo as a possible replacement. However, before Ricciardo is slotted into that seat, the team might want to test where his performance metrics lie since he left the outfit in 2018.
His name has been doing the rounds recently, with a possible season in AlphaTauri being the litmus test for his future.
In reference to this, Horner told the media that these were still early days to decide Ricciardo's future. He did state, though, that the decision would lie with AlphaTauri, saying (via racing365):
"It's still very early days for next year. Daniel is under contract for the year. He's going to be driving our car for the first time after the British Grand Prix [at a Pirelli tyre test]. He's obviously a world-class driver. He's won, what, seven Grands Prix in his career to date (sic, eight)."
Horner added:
"So I think the first thing will be to see how he performs and where his motivation is, and then from there, it's a question for AlphaTauri as to their choices for the following season."
There is sense in Daniel Ricciardo getting the jump over Liam Lawson at AlphaTauri
Quite a few fans have objected to Daniel Ricciardo making a move to ALphaTauri. This is because of Liam Lawson's very impressive junior record, who looks on course to win the Super Formula Championship in Japan this season.
Having said that, from Red Bull's perspective, Ricciardo moving to ALphaTauri for a season makes complete sense. Sergio Perez's contract expires at the end of the 2024 F1 season. If his performances are not up to the mark, the team will be looking for a replacement.
If Daniel Ricciardo can go to AlphaTauri and beat Yuki Tsunoda over a season, that should be a good indication of whether he has regained his mojo or not. If he has, a seat at Red Bull could be the next step and that would solve a lot of problems for the team as well.
