The return of Daniel Ricciardo to the grid has delighted his fans, but will the Western Australian stay in Formula 1 if he cannot bump Sergio Perez for a seat at Red Bull in 2024?
That’s what we’re asking you in this week’s Pirtek Poll.
Ricciardo’s journey back to his former team Scuderia AlphaTauri kicks off this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but he faces two substantial hurdles in his bid to add to his tally of eight Grand Prix victories.
The first hurdle is his new team-mate at AlphaTauri, 23-year-old Yuki Tsunoda. More than a decade younger than the now-34-year-old Riccardo, Tsunoda is now in his third season with the team, also his third in F1 and 52 Grands Prix deep into his career.
Tsunoda has easily seen off Nyck de Vries, whom Riccardo replaces after the Dutchman’s 10-race career so far and will be keen to show his talent against a multiple Grand Prix-winning team-mate in the Australian so far.
The Japanese driver, who leads de Vries 8-2 in qualifying across the 10 races so far this season, will not be easy meat for Ricciardo and could be the final nail in the former Red Bull racer’s career.
That alone may be enough to stop the Honey Badger’s comeback, but the other factor is the outcome of Perez’s 2023 season.
The Australian made it clear when he left McLaren that he wanted a seat where he could win races, and not merely make up the numbers. That means AlphaTauri is a live audition, a fork on the road, with Red Bull the clear destination for Daniel.
The Mexican driver’s stats against world champion Max Verstappen are 8-2 in both qualifying and race match-ups, despite the fact that between them, the pair have won all 10 Grands Prix between them so far in 2023.
Yet before Ricciardo has any real shot at replacing Perez – who has a Red Bull contract for 2024 and still has an opportunity to turn his current season – he must show his pace against Tsunoda.
Ricciardo’s next step is by no means certain.
Can the Daniel of old emerge, the driver who stunned four-time world champion Sebastien Vettel in the same car almost a decade ago and mastered Monaco, or is the now 34-year-old facing an uphill battle against fresher talent?
Even if he can show his ability against Tsunoda and has the opportunity, will he stay on at AlphaTauri next season with little realistic chance of adding to his win record?
Could the roll of the dice for Ricciardo simply end the conspiracy theories that surround his lacklustre performance at McLaren by proving he’s no longer a front-runner and see him sign off at the end of 2023?
Or will the Honey Badger show his pace and experience against Tsunoda to prove – should Perez not – that he is worthy of the Red Bull seat next season?
That’s the question for this week’s Pirtek Poll.
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