Cameras capture Daniel Ricciardo conversation with Red Bull bosses after Belgian GP

Daniel Ricciardo could yet return to a Red Bull race seat at Zandvoort

Cameras at Spa captured the moment Daniel Ricciardo and Christian Horner, all smiles, parted ways after a chat with Laurent Mekies ahead of Monday’s crunch talks regarding Red Bull’s driver line-up.

After months of speculation, Red Bull could decide their 2025 driver line-ups for both Red Bull and VCARB, even the drivers who could be on the grid at the next race in Zandvoort, during a meeting scheduled for Monday.

Daniel Ricciardo: At 35 a job interview

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Despite handing Sergio Perez a new contract just two months ago, the Mexican driver’s failure to grab the bull by the horns has left his future in doubt.

Scoring just 131 points to his team-mate Max Verstappen’s 277, Perez’s form is hurting Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship with their lead threatened by McLaren at a time when Red Bull no longer have the fastest car on the grid.

With the team reportedly considering axing Perez during the summer break, VCARB driver Ricciardo will take part in a test alongside fellow hopeful Liam Lawson with Red Bull expected to decide between the two should they make the call to drop Perez.

“Look I get it, it can be a bit tiring [talking about the future], but I’ve been there,” Ricciardo told the media, including PlanetF1.com.

“So yeah, at 35 a job interview!

“We’ll see, we were always planning to do a filming day, I might do a few extra laps. Will it have some weight or not let’s see. I guess my approach is every time I’m going to get strapped in, I try and do the best I can.”

Ricciardo bolstered his chances of replacing Perez with a P10 in Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix with the Honey Badger later caught on camera speaking with his current team boss Mekies and Red Bull team boss Horner.

Both the driver and Horner were smiling as they parted ways.

the full video of Daniel seen in conversation with Mekies and Horner post race. Appears that Horner and Mekies walked off together afterwards. #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/Og2paljEFz

— meredith (@mereeedithh) July 28, 2024

Asked if he was preparing for the filming day as a job interview, Ricciardo replied: “I don’t know, honestly. Last year when I drove the Red Bull, the current car after Silverstone, that was, let’s say pretty legit.

“I was driving the current car and I knew if I could do something special maybe then the call comes.

“That definitely felt a little bit more real. That’s probably the best way I can answer it.

“I’m not going to say no this doesn’t, but that one I was very aware that this could be something real here.

“This one I’m maybe a little bit more not sure about.”

However, even before Wednesday’s outing Red Bull bosses will sit down to discuss their driver line-up, although Horner says that’s just one part of the conversation that will be had on Monday.

“We have a meeting on Monday but it’s not just about Checo. There are other topics on the agenda as well, which we always do before the summer break,” he said.

Read next: Follow PlanetF1.com’s WhatsApp channel for all the F1 breaking news!