Points to prove: Ricciardo on board in Mexico, adds to pressure on Perez

Daniel Ricciardo has piled more pressure on Sergio Perez for the second Red Bull seat, after scoring his first points since returning to Formula One with seventh place at the Mexican Grand Prix.

After qualifying fourth for the Mexico City race, Ricciardo completed AlphaTauri’s best result since last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix when he came home in seventh.

Daniel Ricciardo scored points for Scuderia AlphaTauri at the Mexican Grand Prix. Credit: Getty

Some 41 seconds off race winner Max Verstappen in the Red Bull, Ricciardo finished only 0.55 seconds behind sixth-placed George Russell in the usually much-faster Mercedes.

Ricciardo’s six points came in only his second race back from a broken wrist, and mark his first top-10 finish since returning to Formula One in July after being axed by McLaren last year.

Fellow Australian Oscar Piastri came home in eighth in his McLaren – the first time two Aussies have claimed points in the same grand prix since Ricciardo got on the board alongside Mark Webber at Brazil in 2013.

Ricciardo held his top-four position for the opening 10 laps, before being passed by Lewis Hamilton.

The 34-year-old fell to sixth after a mid-race restart, beaten off the line by Russell, before being passed by his former McLaren teammate Lando Norris late on.

Ricciardo’s finish is significant given it helped lift his team off last place in the constructors’ championship.

It also makes something of a statement to Red Bull bosses, with Ricciardo driving in their sister team.

Perez is under increasing pressure to retain his drive at Red Bull after a thoroughly underwhelming 2023 season.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and engineer Richard Wolverson celebrate on the podium after winning the Formula One Mexico Grand Prix, their 16th triumph from 19 races this season.Credit: AP Photo

While teammate Verstappen has motored to a third straight drivers’ title with a record 16 wins in 19 races, Perez has landed just two victories in the championship’s best car.

The Mexican crashed out on the first corner of his home grand prix on Sunday after a first-corner collision with Charles Leclerc, making for five races without a podium finish.

Red Bull bosses have been hesitant to guarantee his future, with Perez scoring 240 points to Verstappen’s 491 so far this season.

Ricciardo’s return to racing at AlphaTauri three months ago was viewed as a warning for Perez, with Red Bull able to keep a close eye on the Australian’s progression.

Ricciardo won seven races with Red Bull between 2014 and 2018, before making a shock decision to leave the team for Renault.

He remains the only teammate to have beaten Verstappen across a season, finishing ahead of the Dutch driver in the youngster’s first full year at Red Bull in 2017.

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