Daniel Ricciardo Reveals “Scary” Phone Calls With Helmut Marko Amid Rising Threat of Red Bull Exit

How does it feel to be the chosen one? Only Daniel Ricciardo can explain the feeling. Years ago, Helmut Marko saw the Aussie and knew he was special. The young man from Perth, dreaming of driving F1 cars, wouldn’t have made it without the Red Bull advisor. Helmut is one of F1’s most successful advisors, and no matter where Danny goes, he always has his eyes on him.

Celebrating 20 years of Red Bull in F1 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed a few weeks ago, the Honey Badger shared his earliest memories of the Austrian advisor. Recalling his early days as a junior driver, Ricciardo stated, “Coming up as a junior driver, going through it and having that support from a young age. But also having, Helmut. A lot of times he’s pushing me and trying to get the most out of me.” This is an undeniable fact that Helmut Marko is very dedicated to young drivers. Daniel Ricciardo has experienced it firsthand, however, there is another side to this story.

In the celebration podcast, Ricciardo shared that Marko’s early calls were often daunting. Marko would call very early, and when Danny returned the call, the advisor was always busy. “It was always scary but I think that it helped so much… And I loved it, I look back on that now, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.” Despite the fear, Ricciardo remains grateful for Marko’s impact on his F1 journey.

However, are these kind words enough to sway Marko into keeping Daniel Ricciardo at VCARB in 2025? With Perez staying at Red Bull until at least 2024, Ricciardo is in a tough spot. Looks like the replacement will be inevitable. What will happen?

What lies ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in 2025 and beyond?

Sergio Perez will remain Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull. Yes, Christian Horner has decided not to replace the set driver with the newbie Liam Lawson or the experienced Daniel Ricciardo. This means the second seat is not vacant until 2025 or 2026. While the official outcome of the meeting remains uncertain, Horner has addressed the Milton Keynes staff about Perez’s extended stay, clearing the clouds of replacement for the Mexican driver. However, this also means, the impending loom of replacement hovers over Ricciardo all over again, and Red Bull picking Danny Ric as an option seemed exaggerated. But why?

This season has been the worst for Ricciardo. He was supposed to prove himself to Helmut Marko and Co., but unfortunately, that did not happen. A lackluster season with inconsistent performance is going to trouble the Aussie. There had been rumors that VCARB and Red Bull were to decide on Danny’s future in the ongoing summer break. Well, there is no information about that, so we’ll just leave it on the list of speculations.

This brings Liam Lawson into the picture once again. The Kiwi driver who has already proven himself in F1 last year, could get a big boost after the Sergio Perez news. However, how and when it’ll happen is unknown; and while Daniel Ricciardo speaks beautifully about Helmut Marko, it won’t go a long way. His performance needs to speak louder than his words now. This break is the right time for Danny to recharge himself and sort his matters before returning to the circuits in August.

Did Red Bull make the right choice by keeping Sergio Perez? What do you think?