30 December 2023 , 15:09
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Daniel Ricciardo has been told he has "run out of time" to regain a seat at Red Bull and that a potential move to Ferrari would be a good fit.
Sergio Perez is out of contract at the end of next year and Red Bull chief Christian Horner has claimed that "everything is open for 2025", name-dropping Ricciardo as a potential option. However, former F1 world champion Alan Jones does not expect Ricciardo to replace Perez, claiming it is more likely an "up and coming little star" will be given a chance instead.
"I think (Ricciardo) has run out of time a little bit in that department," Jones told Wide World of Sports. "Sergio's got another year with them, and then there's always some up and coming little star that's going to be given that opportunity.
"I honestly believe Daniel's probably lost the chance of getting back to Red Bull." Jones went on to suggest Ricciardo would prove a popular fit at Ferrari if either Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz were to leave the team at the end of next season.
In the meantime, Ricciardo will race for Red Bull's sister team AlphaTauri in 2024 and Jones has backed his compatriot to enjoy an impressive campaign. "(The car is) a pseudo bloody Red Bull anyway, and I think there will be a lot of carryover information from the Red Bull team into AlphaTauri," he added.
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"I think you'll see a much improved Daniel … he's going to go back at the beginning of next year with a different mindset. I think at one stage, Daniel was too preoccupied with the bulls*** going on outside the cockpit as opposed to what was going on inside the cockpit.
"And I think he was probably … too preoccupied with external affairs rather than head down and bum up concentrating on his driving. I think he even realised that he was probably being ... not led astray, but I think he was letting his mind wander a little bit on other things other than Formula 1, and he needs to get back to the core of what he's good at, and that's driving a Formula 1 car."
Daniel Ricciardo has achieve household name status thanks to his personality rather than his racing (HOCH ZWEI/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)Ricciardo has previously been linked with Ferrari and revealed in 2020 that he was considered as a potential successor to Sebastian Vettel, although Sainz ultimately joined from McLaren instead. "There have been discussions already from a few years back," Ricciardo told CNN.
"And that continued all the way through to now, so yeah, I won't deny that. But obviously it's never really come to fruition. Everyone says it would be a good fit, obviously, with my name and all the background stuff, but yeah, I try not to get emotionally caught up in any kind of situation.
"I see how Carlos is a fit for the team. So I don't really look at it like 'why not me?' I just look at it: Yeah, Carlos had a very strong 2019. Yeah, he's a bit of hot property right now, and I guess it's a good fit for where they are at."