Red Bull is a team, that always has multiple driver options ready to fill a vacant spot. This year, Sergio Perez’s inconsistency has opened doors for Daniel Ricciardo to replace him. Ricciardo’s fans were overjoyed when Perez fell sick one day before the Austria weekend. Alas, the Mexican driver has been deemed fit again to take part in FP1 and Qualifying. And unhappy fans have taken to Twitter to troll Checo Perez.
A few bad performances and you are out – this is how Red Bull operates when it comes to drivers. While Max Verstappen enjoys successive victories, Perez has missed out on successive Q3 appearances. He came under scrutiny after such dismal performances. Finishing P6 in the Canadian GP could be considered a good result, but not if you’re in the fastest car.
While all this happens, the Honey Badger has been patiently waiting in the wings. The worse Sergio Perez performs, the happier Ricciardo’s fans get. And they got the perfect opportunity. Red Bull announced that Perez would not be at the Austrian circuit due to an illness for his media duties. His potential replacements, Ricciardo and rookie Liam Lawson, were being hyped up by the fans. But that only lasted a while, as another announcement came in quick succession.
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🚨 | Checo will be in the car for Free Practice 1 and Qualifying session on Friday
This has been confirmed by the team
[@diegofmejia] pic.twitter.com/aDYHHKSSnz— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) June 29, 2023
The team said that Perez will be completely fit by the time FP1 starts and he’ll take part in Qualifying as well. The same set of fans who were happy with Perez being sick and missing out on the weekend are the ones who are the most disappointed.
Let us look at some of the fans’ comments which were not ready to give Perez a break.
Sergio Perez Faces the Brunt of Dejected Daniel Ricciardo Fans
The Mexican racer has now missed out on 3 Q3 appearances. But owing to his past consistency in Red Bull, the management has been relatively softer with him. But no past deeds can do him any good if he fails to show up in style at the Red Bull ring. Meanwhile, Ricciardo has a proven track record with the team. So, when Ricciardo’s comeback was pushed again, fans lost their calm.
Excited for his 11th place pace
— StillJoeHess (@StillJoeHess) June 29, 2023
L news
— Wojtuś (@Wojtus_FCB) June 29, 2023
EVERYTIME a driver was sick on Thursday the doctors do miracles to cure them in a day ??? https://t.co/KhW8t4u6JK
— mrwn (@mrwnussy) June 29, 2023
I speak for everyone when I say we wanted Liam Lawson or Danny Ric this weekend
— CFCDan (@DannCFC21) June 29, 2023
Boring 🙄
— FwdSlashF1 | AUSTRIA GP 🇦🇹 (@FwdSlashF1) June 29, 2023
My disappointment is immeasurable
— adit¹ (@aditxutd) June 29, 2023
Goodbye Q3
— Kvyatbona ³³ 💚 (@toppedCFC) June 29, 2023
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Like the comments section of all posts, there was one person who humorously forced a silver lining.
Imagine it's only the quali and fp1, and not the rest of the weekend
— Julioaverage96 🇩🇴 🇨🇦 🇺🇸 (@JulioOmega961) June 30, 2023
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For Sergio Perez, the Austrian GP could probably be the last straw. If he fails to perform at Red Bull’s home ground, he will be taking several steps closer to the exit door. And Ricciardo’s fans will be in high spirits again.
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