Max Verstappen drops BOMBSHELL on possibility of Daniel Ricciardo taking Sergio Perez's Red Bull seat

Max Verstappen

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Verstappen drops BOMBSHELL on possibility of Ricciardo taking Perez's Red Bull seat

The Dutchman suggests a fierce battle could be fought for the 2025 Red Bull race seat alongside him

Lauren Sneath

Friday 21 July 2023 20:27

Max Verstappen has said the road is open for Daniel Ricciardo to fight Sergio Perez for the 2025 race seat at Red Bull.

The Dutchman, who is currently seeking his third consecutive world championship title, was previously team-mates with Ricciardo at Red Bull from 2016 to 2018.

The pair had some tussles, notably at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2018 where both team-mates collided and Ricciardo left for Renault after the 2018 season.

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Perez became Verstappen’s team-mate in 2021, the year the Dutchman won his maiden F1 championship.

Since then, the team has gone from strength to strength, with the Mexican driver occasionally claiming race wins – though as yet unable to match Verstappen’s consistency.

Perez’s recent performances, however, have slipped after he took two race wins early in the 2023 season, leading to speculation about the strength of his position in the dominant team.

Returning to Red Bull a ‘dream’ for Ricciardo

Ricciardo has been frank about his desire to eventually return to Red Bull, saying that “this is where I want to be. I’m not going to weave my way around it”.

At a press conference ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen was asked about Ricciardo’s future in F1.

Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo are good friends and former team-mates

The Dutchman admitted that he ‘never actually wanted him to leave’ and said ‘it’s all open’ for Ricciardo to work his way back up to Red Bull.

Responding to a question which asked if Verstappen would be open to a team-mate reunion with Ricciardo, Verstappen said: “Yeah, I mean, I never actually wanted him to leave.

“But no, I mean, all of these things. We know that we get on very well.

“And yeah, I mean, if Daniel of course does well where he is now, then of course you have the opportunity to go back up, right? So it's all open to be honest.”