Much to the delight of the spectators, Daniel Ricciardo will be returning to the F1 tracks in July! The flamboyant Australian, who will only be driving the RB19 for the Pirelli tire test after the British GP race, wants to make the most of the opportunity. He has the desire to show the team that he still “can do it.” However, it appears that Helmut Marko‘s most recent denial has only made the road to a comeback more challenging for the eight-time Grand Prix winner. But known for his “Honey Badger” persona, Ricciardo desires to showcase the Austrian outfit of his “unfinished business.”

After failing to secure a full-time position the previous winter, Ricciardo returned to his “home” team. After two unsuccessful years, the McLaren team sacked the 33-year-old. and replace him with compatriot Oscar Piastri. Furthermore, the pressure on the Red Bull organization is growing enormously with a driver like Daniel Ricciardo remaining in the Red Bull garage.

In contrast, Red Bull also takes care of AlphaTauri, a sibling team that hired Nyck de Vries at the start of the season. He appears to be struggling on F1 tracks. The Dutchman finished two races in the 14th position following two crashes and an 18th at the Miami GP. He is one of just two drivers this season who have yet to accumulate points. De Vries’s apparent loss of momentum appears to have opened up the door for a potential replacement, and Danny Ric is the first person that comes to mind.

Nevertheless, the Red Bull Taskmaster has stated that if De Vries falters, Ricciardo won’t enter the picture. They would bring only the junior drivers in place of the Dutchman. According to Marko, the head of Red Bull’s junior driver program, “If the worst came to the worst, we would fall back on our pool of young talent. We are talking specifically about Liam Lawson and Ayumu Iwasa. Ricciardo is not an issue.”

Signaling that the news has reached him, Ricciardo now comes up with a determined message. While conversing with Sky Sports, the Honey Badger said, “I’m enjoying this year and I think I’ll continue to enjoy it, but for next year I want to work hard to get back to racing.” While adding further, the 33-year-old mentioned some unfinished business as he said, ” I have the feeling that there are still unfinished tasks waiting for me. I’ll continue to sit in the simulator and get back in the car in July.”

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Given that Helmut Marko is no longer willing to assign Danny Ric to the Alpha Tauri, the situation is growing more difficult for him to make a comeback. However, with Sergio Perez’s contract set to end in 2024, the Australian may now have his sights set on that position. But a former team owner claimed that Ricciardo will “no way” be able to match Perez’s excellence.

Why can’t Daniel Ricciardo match Sergio Perez’s excellence?

When Ricciardo returned to the Red Bull garage, rumors circulated over whether Sergio Perez would be let go before the conclusion of his contract, which is set to expire in 2024. As the team has got Danny Ric, who has brought many accolades to the team. However, in terms of the title matchup, Perez has been able to come close to Max Verstappen this year. Checo has won two of the first five races, and he trails the defending champion by just 14 points.

While discussing which driver might be able to compete head-to-head with the Dutchman, Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard concurred that it will require a “superman” effort to outperform Verstappen. And in Jordon’s perspective, Perez has been able to perform the impossible by giving some tough fight to the reigning champion, which the former team owner believes Ricciardo won’t be able to match.

As per PlanetF1, Eddie Jordon said, “I’ve gone through this on a number of occasions and I actually think, you know, Daniel Ricciardo is there. But there’s no way Daniel is going to do the job that Checo is doing, in my opinion. Having seen what Daniel has done, and as much as we like the guy, he’s just a fabulous person to be around, but Checo is doing a magic job.”

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Do you think Red Bull will consider the service of Daniel Ricciardo again? Or given the way Checo is performing, will he get the contract extension?