Red Bull warned against keeping Daniel Ricciardo with ‘not a good signal’ if he stays

VCARB’s Daniel Ricciardo.

Red Bull have a scenario in which at least five drivers are looking to drive within their four seats next season, and one Formula 1 journalist believes having Daniel Ricciardo at VCARB next season would “not be a good signal” for their junior drivers.

Helmut Marko, Senior Advisor at Red Bull, has expressed intentions this year to bring its sister team back to its junior roots, if feasible. However, Daniel Ricciardo has found his route to the ‘senior’ Red Bull team blocked due to Sergio Perez’s two-year contract extension. Perez’s recent performance, which has been under close review in recent months, has solidified his position alongside Max Verstappen.

Daniel Ricciardo at VCARB in F1 2025 ‘not a good signal’ for Red Bull juniors

As it stands, Perez and Ricciardo are due to remain in place beyond the summer break after team principal Christian Horner affirmed Perez would keep his drive with Red Bull, despite widespread reports that he may be replaced by the Australian after a run of underperformance.

What this has done, in turn, is create a scenario in which Ricciardo’s place at VCARB may be under threat itself, with Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson waiting in the wings, as well as Red Bull’s teenage talent Isack Hadjar currently leading the Formula 2 standings.

Yuki Tsunoda has already secured a new deal with the team for the upcoming year. According to PlanetF1.com, Lawson’s option with Red Bull is set to expire in September, after which he can consider other grid options. This scenario leaves a short window of a few weeks for the young driver to officially secure a seat within the Red Bull team.

Dutch reporter Erik van Haren expressed that if Red Bull aims to keep its second team as a ‘junior team’, it wouldn’t send a positive message to have a multiple Grand Prix winner like Ricciardo holding his position in the team where he started his career.

“It’s interesting to see with Checo, because if you count all the drivers you have one too many and Helmut Marko said already that they have to make a decision with Liam in September, because I think there’s something in his contract that if he doesn’t know anything about his future, he can go free after the year,” Van Haren explained on the F1 Nation podcast.

However, I believe he is deserving of a seat. VCARB is a team focused on development and nurturing young drivers, and Yuki has also been a part of it for four years now.

Naturally, Daniel is a highly experienced driver. The talent group also boasts skilled drivers from both Formula 2 and Formula 3.

“If you continue to choose Yuki and Daniel for the team, it won’t send a good message. I believe Liam also deserves a chance.”

A look ahead to the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend

F1 schedule: When is the next F1 race and where is it being held?

 Dutch Grand Prix weather forecast: F1 starting grid shake-up on the cards?

When asked whether loaning Lawson out for a year to potentially reintegrate him into the Red Bull team could be a viable option, it was suggested that this would also be a challenging decision for the team.

“It depends,” Van Haren responded.

“If Perez continues to perform at this level for the next few months, I don’t think Red Bull will be able to retain him for another year. I’m not sure about the specifics of the contract clauses.”

It really depends on the circumstances. If Daniel performs exceptionally well in the upcoming months, he could be eligible for another promotion.

If he’s not your choice and you wish to continue with Daniel, then in my opinion, you should place Liam alongside Max Verstappen as he is deserving of it.

Sure, it was just four or five races, but he demonstrated his skill last year. Having someone benched for several years isn’t a positive sign.

Of course, if the team and all four drivers are at peak performance, there’s nothing to discuss. However, that’s not the current situation.

“It’s quite challenging to inform the younger drivers that they still have to wait.”

Read next: Huge blow for Sebastian Vettel return plans as Audi F1 stance revealed by local media