Ricciardo issues blunt Red Bull response despite Perez backing

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed his desire to return to Red Bull, despite the team having already handed Sergio Perez a new contract.

Perez's position with the world champions has been under immense scrutiny of late, following a run of poor performances.

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Four podiums in the first five races of the season encouraged Red Bull to hand Perez a contract extension, but he now sits down in seventh in the drivers' championship, despite his team-mate Max Verstappen being top.

Perez has not beaten Verstappen in a straight fight since the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, his last race victory which came almost 18 months ago.

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Ricciardo an option for Red Bull?

Similarly to Perez, Ricciardo's position in the sport has also come under fire, with the 35-year-old taking up a space at Red Bull's junior team Visa Cash App RB.

Since being given the opportunity to rejoin the Formula 1 grid midway through 2023 with the Faenza outfit, Ricciardo has struggled to consistently perform at the highest level.

Amid Perez's struggles, Ricciardo had been rumoured to be a short-term option for Red Bull, reuniting the Australian with the team that helped him claim seven of his eight grand prix victories.

However, team principal Christian Horner recently confirmed that Perez will not be replaced midway through the season, despite summer break discussions.

Now, Ricciardo has revealed to Racing News365 that he would like to be promoted back into the top seat and partner Verstappen once more.

"Yeah. I'm not going to give a diplomatic answer. Of course I would," he said.

"I know I need to earn it. It's not just going to be handed to me but if I earned it and the chance was there, of course, I'd love to do it. So we'll see."

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