A top Formula 1 pundit and former race winner has issued a damning assessment of Daniel Ricciardo's current form in the sport, telling Red Bull they should ignore him for one of his rivals.
Ricciardo has had a mixed season at Visa Cash App RB, and has been outperformed by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda on several occasions.
Daniel Ricciardo had been tipped by some to replace Sergio Perez at Red BullYuki Tsunoda is targeting a seat at Red Bull in the future
Tsunoda tipped for Red Bull seat
Given Sergio Perez's ongoing struggles at Red Bull this year, Ricciardo was one of the names linked with replacing the Mexican, despite his own erratic form.
However, if Red Bull do ever decide to axe Perez, one F1 pundit believes Ricciardo should be snubbed and not the man they go for.
Johnny Herbert, who raced over 150 times in F1, believes that there are other drivers on the grid in a better position to make the step up should that door open in the future.
"Has Daniel earned a place at Red Bull? I don’t think so, at least not yet," Herbert said, speaking to TopOffShoreSportsBooks.com.
"He has not been strong enough against Yuki Tsunoda. Yuki is the one I would give a go to - his racing has improved.
"It would not be the Daniel of old who would be up against Max.
Johnny Herbert raced for several F1 teams before becoming a pundit
'The pressure on Max is huge, the Red Bull dominance of old has gone. It’s all on his shoulders.
"You need two drivers to get as many points as you can, if you are not going to win a race as Max has been doing for the past couple of seasons.
"When you get to that situation a team has to make a change but their choices are few. It looks like it will be either Ricciardo against whom there is a question mark, or Yuki."
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