Ricciardo given huge boost as date outlined for Red Bull promotion

Daniel Ricciardo has received a significant boost amid ongoing speculation surrounding his Formula 1 future.

The Visa Cash App RB star is out of contract at the end of this season, and having largely failed to impress since joining the team midway through 2023, is under significant pressure to hold on to his seat.

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Following another disappointing result at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday, Ricciardo now has just nine races to prove he can still be considered worthy of a spot on the grid in 2025.

Pressure continues to build on Perez

Yet despite his recent struggles, the Australian has emerged as a shock candidate to replace Red Bull star Sergio Perez before the end of this season.

The Mexican is currently enduring a dreadful run of form, collecting just 36 points from his last nine outings, putting him more than 150 points behind his Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen in the drivers' standings.

Team boss Christian Horner has consistently backed the veteran racer, but with the constructors' title race heating up, may be forced into a change.

Ricciardo drove for the Milton Keynes-based outfit alongside Verstappen in the early stages of his career, and remains a popular figure in the Red Bull garage.

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F1 photographer Kym Illman believes Red Bull may pull the trigger on Perez after his home race in Mexico, and has suggested Ricciardo may be in line to make a shock return, opening the door for reserve driver Liam Lawson to impress at RB.

Speaking to GPFans in Zandvoort, Illman said: ”We talk all the time in the paddock and we are thinking Daniel could get the Sergio seat.

“I'm just telling you what I hear from others because I'm not privy to this - there's a chance after Mexico they say: ‘Right, Sergio's not doing well'.

"Perhaps they’ll take Sergio out because he has fulfilled his excitement with the Mexican fans. Put Daniel in, Liam might get the early drive there [at RB].”

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