Six-time F1 race winner Ralf Schumacher believes Red Bull’s driver table for F1 2024 is “relatively clear” and hints Sergio Perez will lose his seat to make room for Daniel Ricciardo.
From the outside, it looks like the Red Bull team is quite prepared for F1 2024, and Perez will retain his seat alongside Max Verstappen until the final year of his contract.
This left a three-way war between Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson for the two seats with Red Bull’s junior AlphaTauri.
But, while this trio of two-seat drivers has been described by Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko as a “luxury problem”, Schumacher believes there is another path Red Bull can travel and has already embarked upon.
Ricciardo’s ultimate goal is to return to the Red Bull team, and Schumacher believes that ambition will be fulfilled for the Australian next season, leaving Perez behind.
“I think the answer is clear,” Schumacher said in an interview with Formel1. de, quoted via GPFans.
“I mean, even this weekend, for me, the Perez factor at the end of the season is resolved. I think he knows that himself.
“For me, Ricciardo at Red Bull next year is the simplest and most logical decision.
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And Schumacher sees no room for AlphaTauri for Perez, as the junior squad is determined to complete with Tsunoda and Lawson.
This is the existing AlphaTauri duo as Lawson continues to reposition the injured Ricciardo, and Lawson earned praise across the paddock for his performances as he scored his first problems with a ninth position in Singapore.
“Dr. Marko is lucky that Liam Lawson is doing such a smart job,” Schumacher said. “He was immersed in the deep end and kept his promises.
“He made no mistakes at the tricky Singapore circuit and scored points. So, in that sense, I can believe that it will be shown next year at AlphaTauri, alongside Tsunoda.
Such a series of occasions would create a very clever possibility of Perez being on the 2024 F1 grid, with Williams being the only possible vacancy if he loses his Red Bull wheel.
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