Ricciardo given Red Bull HOPE as Horner faces huge F1 choice

One of Red Bull's key figures has provided fresh hope for Daniel Ricciardo amid ongoing speculation over his Formula 1 future.

The Australian currently races for RB, Red Bull's sister team, but is out of contract at the end of the season.

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It has been an up-and-down campaign for the former McLaren star, with a series of mixed results putting him behind team-mate Yuki Tsunoda in the team pecking order.

The 35-year-old has shown the occasional glimpse of his talent, most notably in Miami, but has too often failed to live up to expectations, putting himself under significant pressure to perform over the remaining ten races of the year.

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Since joining RB midway through 2023, Ricciardo has made no secret of his intention to earn a spot at the reigning constructors' champions, whom he raced with at the start of his career.

Despite question marks over whether he can even be considered good enough to hold on to his current seat - with Liam Lawson waiting in the wings for an opportunity - the Perth-born racer emerged as a shock candidate to replace Sergio Perez before the summer break.

The Mexican made a strong start to the season, but performance levels have dropped off significantly in recent months, despite signing a contract extension with the team.

And having collected just 28 points from his last eight outings, the 34-year-old now sits more than 140 points behind team-mate Max Verstappen in the drivers' standings.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has made it clear that Perez's future remains secure, for the time being at least, but has stressed that results must improve quickly, or he will be left with a decision to make.

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Ahead of this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix, the team's engineering chief Paul Monaghan has admitted that they have options capable of getting behind the wheel of the RB20.

"I think any of our drivers could step in," he said, as reported by The Mirror.

"Lawson could, as could Yuki, as could Daniel, as could Checo - they are all capable of driving the car.

"But it is a question for Christian and [team director] Helmut Marko."

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