Daniel Ricciardo reveals dream Red Bull return: Can he replace Sergio Perez in 2025?

Until the middle of the 2023 season, it seemed like Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo‘s best days in Formula 1 were now behind him. However, Ricciardo was quick to jump into the seat of Nyck de Vries’ AlphaTauri, after the latter was ousted in the middle of the season, opening a vacancy in Red Bull’s second team. The Australian has now revealed in an interview that he dreams of a Red Bull return, and also that he wants to end his F1 career as a Red Bull driver.
Taking a walk down the memory lane, Ricciardo first joined Red Bull as a replacement at the start of the 2014 Formula One season, being promoted from Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri). At the time, he drove the RB10 alongside Sebastian Vettel – already a four-time world champion. Ricciardo won three races in his first season at the outfit, finishing the season on third in the drivers’ championship.
With Max Verstappen stepping up as a replacement for Vettel, Ricciardo’s first-place preference at Red Bull was in jeopardy, and hence, he decided to move on for a “new challenge” at Renault where he stayed for two seasons before joining McLaren in 2021. Daniel Ricciardo’s stay at McLaren was cut short to just two years when the team decided to terminate his contract a year early, by ‘mutual agreement’.

After leaving McLaren at the conclusion of the 2022 season, Ricciardo elected to rejoin Red Bull Racing for the 2023 season, but only as a third driver behind his former teammate Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Nyck de Vries’ dismissal might have earned him a racing seat, but Daniel now dreams of a fairytale ending to his career at Red Bull.
Upon being asked if he is aiming for the Red Bull Racing seat that opens up in 2025, Ricciardo said, “I’m not even going to put a day, or date on it, or year, whatever. I think coming back into it and jumping back in with the Red Bull family, doing the test in July, all these things, working with Simon again, that’s really the dream. Honestly, to end my career as a Red Bull driver would be perfect. Not that I’m looking at the end, but if I go back there, then I’ll certainly make sure I finish there.”
Sergio Perez’s Red Bull contract ends after the 2024 season, which means there is a possibility of a Red Bull return for Daniel Ricciardo. However, it will all boil down to the performance of the two drivers next year. Apart from Ricciardo and Perez, 11 other drivers are yet to sign a contract beyond 2024, meaning that the seat would be hotly contested. AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and third driver Liam Lawson are also potential candidates for the seat after impressive performances in 2023.
Who do you think should partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2025? Let us know in the comments down below.