{"id":292621,"date":"2023-10-22T05:24:21","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T05:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/?p=292621"},"modified":"2023-10-22T05:24:21","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T05:24:21","slug":"ricciardo-tipped-to-replace-perez-at-red-bull-as-button-shares-aussies-belief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/racing\/f1\/ricciardo-tipped-to-replace-perez-at-red-bull-as-button-shares-aussies-belief\/","title":{"rendered":"Ricciardo tipped to replace Perez at Red Bull as Button shares Aussie’s belief"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Daniel Ricciardo has been backed to replace Sergio Perez if the under-pressure Red Bull star fails to improve his performances and get closer to Max Verstappen. The Australian was brought back to the team as their reserve driver for 2023 and former F1 world champion Jenson Button has put forward the experienced racer as a candidate to step into Perez’s seat in 2024 if the Mexican’s poor run of form continues.<\/p>\n

Ricciardo’s return to Red Bull was only supposed to see him take on a part-time role as their reserve driver for 2023, but he was drafted in at AlphaTauri following Nyck de Vries’ short-lived 10-race stint. The 34-year-old impressed until he broke his hand in a crash at the Dutch Grand Prix, keeping him out for five races with Liam Lawson filling in.<\/p>\n

And Button, who retired from the sport in 2016 before going on to race in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), believes Ricciardo could potentially step in at Red Bull if they decide Perez is no longer meeting their expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there is a possibility yes,\u201d he told Sky Sports F1. \u201cI think in terms of confidence, he has so much confidence in his ability now. He comes back, he\u2019s proven he\u2019s quick against his teammate and I think that\u2019s a big step for him getting into the Red Bull seat.<\/p>\n

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READ MORE <\/strong> Red Bull have three drivers on standby if Sergio Perez is fired this season[INSIGHT] <\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cIf Checo isn\u2019t close enough to Max when they\u2019re in a car that doesn\u2019t have the advantage they do right now, they need someone that can pull in those big points, and that is Daniel Ricciardo.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a real racer and he wants to be fighting at the front. He didn\u2019t feel the atmosphere was right for him alongside Max. Now he does suddenly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ricciardo has already shown signs of improvement from his disappointing spell with McLaren. He was booted out of the Woking-based team with a year still left on his contract as CEO Zak Brown wanted to hire Oscar Piastri instead. And the eight-time race winner insists he is happy to remain with Red Bull after settling back into the team.<\/p>\n