Despite Sergio Perez signing a new contract that would keep him in Formula One until the conclusion of the 2026 season, Daniel Ricciardo isn’t giving up on his goal of concluding his Formula One career with Red Bull.
Since making his way back to the grid in mid-2023, Ricciardo has made no secret of his intention to rejoin Red Bull Racing, with whom he won all but one of his eight career victories between 2014 and 2018.
Daniel Ricciardo is determined to make his ideal Red Bull comeback
But since his return from a broken hand sustained at the Dutch Grand Prix last year, the Australian has found it difficult to regain his previous form, and Ricciardo’s inconsistent performance in F1 2024 has put a stop to his ambitions of taking Perez’s place going forward.
Prior to the Canadian Grand Prix, Red Bull said that Perez had agreed to a new two-year deal that would keep him with the Milton Keynes-based team through the conclusion of the 2026 Formula One season.
Yuki Tsunoda, on the other hand, was confirmed to remain with the RB junior squad for F1 2025 just before qualifying in Montreal. This might lead to a struggle for the second seat between Ricciardo and Red Bull’s highly regarded reserve driver Liam Lawson.
Daniel Ricciardo vs Jacques Villeneuve
After unable to improve on his fourth-place position in the Miami sprint race, Ricciardo has admitted that his personal performance has not been good enough to warrant a return to Red Bull’s senior team.
Though he will be 35 next month, he has stated that his aspirations of rejoining Red Bull are unaffected by Perez’s contract.
“I don’t think it means anything like ‘that’s it’ in terms of [my prospects],” he told Canadian media. I don’t interpret that as “Well, perhaps I won’t get a chance.”
