F1 News
Does Verstappen prefer Ricciardo as teammate? 'I think so'
- GPblog.com
Daniel Ricciardo made his last Grand Prix for McLaren in the final race in Abu Dhabi. The Australian is most likely to settle for a reserve role at Red Bull Racing next season. According to Ralf Schumacher, he could just be Sergio Perez's successor in 2024.
The Mexican helped teammate Max Verstappen on several occasions over the past two years, but so far failed to get consistent results every race. His results will therefore be followed with great attention next season, Schumacher told the German branch of Sky Sports.
Should Perez disappoint again next calendar year, the former Formula 1 driver does not rule out Ricciardo being his successor. "I think Ricciardo has a good chance. Behind the scenes, I think it should be very aggressive and I think Max wants a new combination there," he states.
Schumacher expects Verstappen's opinion to be important. The driver already has two world titles to his name and looks set to continue that in the coming years. "In that sense, I can imagine that because of his contract he also has a say in who drives next to him. And I think he prefers Ricciardo."
Deal not yet finalised
Red Bull and Ricciardo have already had several talks with each other, in which they almost reached a deal. The driver revealed this weekend that he expects it to be finalised soon. It would mean his return to the old nest after leaving in 2018.