Helmut Marko asserts Daniel Ricciardo failed to fulfill criteria for promotion to Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo made a shock return to the F1 grid mid-way through 2023 with AlphaTauri (now RB). The Australian driver replaced the struggling Nyck de Vries ten races into the season.

Many hoped that the Honey Badger could make his way to Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen this season. Now, Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has revealed the reason for Ricciardo staying at RB.

Marko admitted that the reason Daniel Ricciardo was signed by RB was to see if the Australian could be significantly faster than Yuki Tsunoda. This would've opened the door for the 35-year-old to potentially replace Sergio Perez at the Milton Keynes-based squad.

Daniel was put in the car and if he would have been significantly faster than Yuki there was an idea to bring him back to Red Bull Racing.Helmut Marko told ESPN

Unfortunately, Helmut Marko pointed out that Ricciardo has had his ups and downs this season. As such, the Honey Badger did not meet the criteria he needed to take Checo's seat after the summer break. Daniel Ricciardo is set to continue with RB at least for the remainder of the 2024 season alongside Tsunoda.

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But he also had this up and down. So, so far, he didn't fulfil the criteria to be a Red Bull Racing driver.Helmut Marko statedRELATED

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Helmut Marko claims RB set to stay a junior team

The Faenza-based RB has always been a junior team for Red Bull Racing. The Austrian giant uses the Italian squad for its young drivers to make their F1 debut. However, this has not been the case lately with Liam Lawson waiting on the sidelines. Now, Helmut Marko made it clear that investors want to see RB continue as a junior team in the future.

Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson (via IMAGO)It was a clear statement from the shareholders that Racing Bulls is a junior team and this route will be how the future will look.Helmut Marko declared

Certainly, this could come at the cost of Daniel Ricciardo's future in Formula 1. The Australian driver is yet to receive a contract for 2025. The best bet for the Honey Badger would be to outperform his teammate consistently and make a case to replace Perez for next season. Fans would certainly want to see Ricciardo reunite with Verstappen at Red Bull.

Daniel was put in the car and if he would have been significantly faster than Yuki there was an idea to bring him back to Red Bull Racing.Helmut Marko told ESPNBut he also had this up and down. So, so far, he didn't fulfil the criteria to be a Red Bull Racing driver.Helmut Marko statedIt was a clear statement from the shareholders that Racing Bulls is a junior team and this route will be how the future will look.Helmut Marko declared

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Armaan Agarwal is a Formula 1 Subhead and author at Firstsportz. He has been a Motorsports writer for over six years a journey that started in 2017 with his own F1 blog. Armaan has been part of the Firstsportz for over a year and has published more than 1000 articles. His experience, passion for racing, and in-depth knowledge of the sport enable him to give racing fans worldwide a unique perspective of the sport. Armaan has always loved cars and it was Sebastian Vettel that made him a passionate F1 fan. Armaan is presently studying Mass Communication at St Xavier's University Kolkata.