Marko reveals REPLACEMENT preference in huge Ricciardo blow

Red Bull's chief advisor Helmut Marko has said that Red Bull would look to promote one of their junior drivers should they replace the faltering Sergio Perez.

After brilliantly reacting to new regulations in 2022, Red Bull have been a force to be reckoned with in the sport's current era, with two world championship doubles already under their belt.

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Coming into the 2024 season off the back of a scarcely believable 21 race wins, another season of Red Bull dominance seemed inevitable.

However, despite leading both championships, it has not been plain sailing for Red Bull this time around, with a number of rivals challenging them at almost every race weekend.

Will Red Bull axe Sergio Perez?

Wins for McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes this season has led to suggestions that their once invincible superiority is coming to an end, with even lead driver Max Verstappen accepting he team's golden era may be over.

Furthermore, the poor performances of the Dutchman's team-mate Perez have only exacerbated Red Bull's concerns.

What once appeared to be a match made in heaven, with the experienced Mexican previously executing the wingman role to perfection, is now a partnership that is becoming increasingly one-sided, with a string of poor performances from Perez causing Red Bull's lead in the standings to be cut to just 51 points.

Despite this concerning run of form, Red Bull put an end to speculation that they would be axing the 34-year-old, by handing Perez a new contract in June.

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However, recent comments from Red Bull's head of driver development programme, Helmut Marko, suggest that the six-time constructors' champions will be looking to promote one of their junior drivers should Perez's performances continue to decline, in a big blow to RB stars Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda.

Ricciardo, who himself is the subject of rumours surrounding his future in the sport, had been seen as a potential replacement for Perez at the start of the season, but speaking to Kleine Zeitung, the 81 year-old discussed potential candidates to be their number two driver.

"I assume that we will primarily make use of our existing drivers," the Red Bull advisor said.

"We have three juniors who are ready for Formula 1, with Liam Lawson certainly at the top of the list. Behind him, there is also Ayumu Iwasa and Isack Hadjar."

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