Ricciardo given shock F1 driver replacement chance

Daniel Ricciardo’s chance of stepping in as a Red Bull replacement have been revealed during an episode of Formula 1 docu-series Drive to Survive.

The 35-year-old was axed from Racing Bulls in September 2024, after he was unable to score consistent points for the team and his performances came under frequent scrutiny, with Sergio Perez also following a similar fate at Red Bull.

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Whilst both the Mexican and Australian no longer feature on the F1 grid, the pair were the leading stars during an episode of the Netflix series’ seventh season, titled ‘Elbows Out’.

Perez’s performance struggles were the focus of the episode, with a crash during qualifying at the British Grand Prix prompting Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to lament his driver's results and look towards replacing the Mexican star.

Ricciardo named as shock Red Bull replacement

However, Horner’s conversation with his team over Perez’s replacement saw him make a shock driver choice, naming Ricciardo as his favourite despite his poor results in 2024.

“If we carry on like this, we’re f***ed,” he said on the phone after Perez’s Q1 exit.

Later when he returned to the garage, Horner began to discuss with members of the team who to bring in as a replacement.

“What are we gonna do with our Mexican? I’m starting to think it’s diminishing returns. This weekend, we have to look very carefully at the other drivers [Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson],” he added.

“I’m a big fan of Daniel. He’s not been competitive, but we know what he’s capable of. I think he can sniff that there’s a bit of a chance.”

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The episode then switched to Ricciardo’s perspective during the British GP weekend, where he pounced on the potential opportunity to replace Perez.

“I just wasn’t sure how much they’ve made aware to the public that Checo was somewhat on the verge,” Ricciardo said to Red Bull’s director of communications Paul Smith.

“What Christian’s been saying publicly is: the way that it’s been approached with Checo is through a lot of support, right?” Smith replied.

“As opposed to, we’re definitely f*** replacing Checo, he’s f***ed, DR is in [at Red Bull], Liam is in at VCARB…”

Ricciardo responded to this comment with: “Happy days!”

“So for you, I think Christian’s taking the time to see what happens here [at the British GP and beyond], he needs success,” Smith said.

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However, Ricciardo endured yet another poor result at Silverstone, where he only finished P13 compared to his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda who secured a points finish in P10.

“We don’t have anybody else in the other car [VCARB] that is putting in performances that are like ‘wow’,” Horner said following Ricciardo's result and thus ending any chance of replacing Perez, who finished the 2024 British GP P17.

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