Mercedes wildcard could save Ricciardo’s F1 career after Red Bull snub

Former Red Bull driver and current Visa Cash App RB driver Daniel Ricciardo once again stands at a crossroads in his F1 career.

When the Australian broke onto the F1 scene, he was touted as a driver with the qualities of becoming an F1 world champion in the future. Sadly, now he's at the risk of being without a seat going into the 2025 season.

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At the end of 2022, Ricciardo was without a contract and spent the first half of the 2023 season as Red Bull's third driver. A return to the F1 cockpit didn’t take too long as Nyck de Vries’ poor performances at AlphaTauri forced a Ricciardo mid-season swap.

Sergio Perez’s inefficiency at Red Bull since have sparked debates and serious discussions of the Mexican getting sacked mid-season. Ricciardo was touted as a stop-gap solution. However, post the Belgian GP, it was clear that Perez would continue at Red Bull until the end of the season.

The 2024 has been bittersweet for Ricciardo. The 35-year-old waited all the way until the Miami Grand Prix to score his first points, as he finished fourth in the sprint race. On the other hand, VCARB team-mate Yuki Tsunoda has outperformed the eight-time grand prix winner on several occasions.

Perez’s continuation and Ricciardo's performances raise question marks over the Australian's next move in F1. Here at GPFans, we assessed the options the Honey Badger has ahead of him - and you can have your say with our poll below.

The Dream: Red Bull

Those who followed Ricciardo closely during his Red Bull stint know that the Australian was excellent and in-tune with the car. The name of Ricciardo was often thrown in world championship discussions. The flair was always there but he wasn’t ready to be overshadowed by the Verstappen tsunami.

Perhaps, Perez’s struggles can enable a sensational return to Red Bull. The Mexican has scored just 24 points in last seven races, failing to finish in two of those. His inconsistency and failure to match up with Verstappen has been one of the biggest reasons for Red Bull’s slump.

Should Perez’s skirmishes with poor results continue, Horner may have no choice but to axe him for 2025. This could be a golden ticket for Ricciardo, a chance to once again race at the front of the field in a strong car. Although, for that to happen he will have to sacrifice the dream of being the protagonist at Red Bull, due to the star power of triple world champion Verstappen.

The safe bet: VCARB

For Ricciardo, the safest option could be to continue at VCARB. At Red Bull, he could once again be in the firing line and expectations to deliver will soar. However, at VCARB, he could settle into midfield battles and hope for a once in a blue moon, top five/top six finish.

At 35, he doesn’t have many options and certainly can’t risk picking the wrong option. However, he can’t get complacent. Liam Lawson has been knocking on the doors for an opportunity and any slip-ups on Ricciardo’s part can open the doors for Lawson.

VCARB remains a safe bet. However, Ricciardo is known to take the leap of faith, as he did in 2019, joining Renault from Red Bull, he may still be tempted to go for the full monty.

The wildcard option: Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton shellshocked the F1 world with his announcement to race for Ferrari in 2025, leaving Mercedes and Toto Wolff with a hefty job of finding an able replacement. Wolff has been crushing over Kimi Antonelli’s prodigious talent but his F2 performances haven’t exactly set the world apart.

Should Wolff decide to give Antonelli more time to refine himself, the current driver market is scant, especially after Carlos Sainz joined Williams. In such scenario, Ricciardo’s experience and talent becomes attractive to Mercedes.

In Ricciardo, Mercedes get a proven Grand Prix winner and a very communicative driver. He and George Russell can lead a potential title charge if the engineers in Brackley deliver a strong car.

Ricciardo’s brand appeal can make lives of Mercedes’ marketing team easier, as they ponder over economic aftereffects of Hamilton’s departure.

The long-term play: Audi

On the other hand, Audi, can also be a popular option for the Australian. The German brand is set to launch itself in 2026, taking over Sauber. Audi can have a big name signing in form of Ricciardo after failing to get Sainz.

For 2025, Sauber have signed Niko Hulkenberg but are yet to alot the second seat to a driver. Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are both contenders but their poor performances have lead Sauber to a grand total of zero points this season.

With their arrival in 2026, Audi are not expected to straightaway be at the front of the pack but Ricciardo could be the senior driver who helps them to make a smooth entry to F1.

For Ricciardo, it may be another experiment as the German team will be taking their nascent steps in F1 but the Australian isn’t shy of challenges and could seriously consider Audi if given the chance.

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