Daniel Ricciardo says VCARB feels “different” from the junior team of yesteryear, although Helmut Marko says it is a junior team and will “have to” act in accordance with its driver line-up.
Christian Horner’s confirmation on Monday night that Sergio Perez is “still” a Red Bull driver has put an end to the hypothesis that Ricciardo could move to the senior team after the summer break.
And in doing so, the highlight has focused on Honey Badger’s position within Red Bull’s junior team, VCARB, with Ricciardo and reserve driver Liam Lawson taking part in a “shootout”, as the media claims, at Imola on Wednesday .
While it was speculated that the two would go head to head for Perez’s seat, and Horner now confirms that Perez is staying, it may simply be a fight to see who will have the VCARB seat at the Dutch Grand Prix or even for 2025.
Red Bull motorsport advisor Marko has advised in the past that a replacement position be taken at some point given that VCARB is a junior team.
“The shareholders have made it clear that this is a junior team and we will have to act accordingly,” he told Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung last month.
“[Ricciardo’s] purpose is to think about Red Bull Racing with remarkable performances. This seat now belongs to Sergio Perez, so this plan is no longer valid.
“We will have to put a pilot there soon. That would be Liam Lawson.
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But fighting for his long career in F1, never mind that within the Red Bull family, Ricciardo says VCARB is no longer a junior team.
Explaining in Spa that it is “more than just a junior team”, he told the media and added to PlanetF1. com: “Yes, it is different, and I think it is easy to change the name and say that we have a new look. ” and with this and that, however, your movements must continue.
“Me, Laurent, Peter, Alan, a lot of the guys who came in did.
“It’s not that what happened in the past with Franz [Tost, former team boss], in this example, wasn’t the right thing to do, however, a replacement is a smart thing. You bring new ideas. Everyone has spent time in other teams , organizations. And yes, it’s just a new way of searching for things.
“I think their intentions and the way they’re doing it have made other people stand up and say, okay, this is rarely a youth team anymore.
“We make big decisions and take risks and set goals and objectives that are high and that we believe we can realistically achieve. So it’s great. It’s great to see that.
“I’m probably also fair inside: if I still felt like a youth team, I wouldn’t feel comfortable here. I’m 35 now. So I guess I wouldn’t feel out of place. And in fact I don’t. So I think that’s also a smart way to perceive it.
Although Ricciardo faces the shootout, or “job interview” against Lawson on Wednesday, he has a better chance of retaining his VCARB seat with a tenth position if he finishes at Spa.
“I don’t need to say as smart as his last race, but there are times when races are more critical than any other,” he said. declared.
“So, like I said, and I hadn’t heard anything from them, even myself, I just thought, ‘listen, those can be very, very vital careers in my career and leave it all out and do it. ‘”as much as I can.
“There are also discussions about the fact that I will even be here. So it’s like there’s a lot to fight for. And yes, I think that’s why I’ve made it a matter of honor for each and every race that you guys prepare. And of course, you do what you can. But I have just pointed out that yes, each and every one must be left aside. And that’s it.
“So yeah. We’ll see. “
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