‘It will be tough’: Ricciardo has to ‘blow doors off’ to realise Red Bull dream

A new F1 season is just around the corner and Daniel Ricciardo has been given a reality check as he tries to earn his spot at Red Bull back.

Daniel Ricciardo wants his old Red Bull seat back. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

In many ways it’s a minor miracle Daniel Ricciardo is back on the Formula One grid, but expectations are being tempered ahead of the 2024 season.

Ricciardo replaced Nyck De Vries at AlphaTauri midway through last season and had a rollercoaster back half of the year.

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He stunned Red Bull bosses with a blistering lap in testing to secure the AlphaTauri gig, broke his hand and missed five races before showing glimpses of the old Ricciardo with a seventh placed finish at the Mexican Grand Prix.

Ricciardo will once again drive for Red Bull’s feeder team this year alongside Yuki Tsunoda, although it will take some time to get used to AlphaTauri’s new team name, Visa Cash App RB.

There’s always pressure to perform in F1 but Ricciardo will be extra eager for impressive top 10 results given Sergio Perez is entering the final year of his contract with Red Bull, potentially leaving a vacant seat in 2025.

With several drivers out of contract, it’s set to be one of the more chaotic ‘silly seasons’ in recent memory as F1 teams play musical chairs with the drivers.

Can Daniel Ricciardo make his way back to Red Bull? (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

There’s also the factor of Kiwi youngster Liam Lawson, who is waiting in the wings without a seat despite impressing for AlphaTauri while Ricciardo was injured.

Red Bull have shown they won’t hesitate to give Lawson a drive mid-season if one of their drivers isn’t performing.

Former F1 driver and Sky Sports commentator Johnny Herbert thinks it will be tough for Ricciardo to rediscover his best form and earn a recall to Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen.

“Daniel had a certain way of racing when he came in and got his chance at Red Bull,” Herbert said, per BitcoinCasinos.com.

“Now he feels he needs to change things to make himself better. Well, it worked originally.

“But what is going to change to make him better than he was when he was up against Max, albeit when Max was in his early days?

“He had a great reputation, was a great racer, a great overtaker, but it hasn’t quite been there over the last couple of years. Can he turn it around? In my heart I think it will be tough.

“The only way he will earn the Red Bull seat next year is by blowing the doors off his teammate and he wasn’t able to do that last year.

“Will the changes make him better and stronger, leaner and faster? Possibly. But I am not sure.”

Ricciardo has said it would be a fairytale if he is able to return to Red Bull to finish his career.

After leaving Red Bull at the end of 2018, he had two-year stints with Renault and McLaren before entering the F1 wilderness.

Hopes are high for Oscar Piastri and McLaren. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)

Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri is expected to develop a healthy rivalry with teammate Lando Norris as McLaren aim to close the gap to Red Bull in the championship race.

The 22-year-old Aussie had an excellent rookie season and has been described as a future world champion.

Herbert believes Piastri’s development will actually help Norris, who has 13 podium finishes but is still chasing his maiden race win in F1.

“I didn’t see Piastri’s rise heaping pressure on Lando Norris,” Herbert said, thanks to LuckyBlock.com.

“I actually saw him get stronger because of Oscar performing very well. Did he fall off a cliff because his teammate was driving very well? No, he did not.

“His mental ability is going to be very positive for him and for McLaren and it will be great watching them race together.

“I think Lando has more than enough quality to absorb that pressure from Oscar. It will only make him better.”

Pre-season testing will be held next month before the 2024 F1 season begins in Bahrain on February 29 to March 2.

Originally published as ‘It will be tough’: Ricciardo has to ‘blow doors off’ to realise Red Bull dream