“He Had to Take It”: Max Verstappen & Co. Accused of Forcing Daniel Ricciardo Into Risky AlphaTauri Move With Red Bull Prodigy’s Help

Daniel Ricciardo, who promised to take a year of silence from the fast-paced atmosphere of Formula 1, has made a risky decision to join AlphaTauri at this stage of his career. He might have taken the step presumably in an effort to further his fading career. But why will Ricciardo want to drive in what is arguably the “slowest car” on the grid? Since Tuesday, reports of his return under the Red Bull banner have gained attention, however now Max Verstappen and Co. are being accused of pushing the Honey Badger for the AlphaTauri move while using a Red Bull prodigy as bait.

Soon after proving his worth after the Pirelli tire test, Danny Ricc was welcomed to the Red Bull family. However, numerous teams approached the Honey Badger last year, but the outspoken Australian made it clear that he didn’t want to start from scratch since he only wanted to participate in a car that was highly competitive. But now that he has made this move, leaving people curious, as to why? And in response to that, it is probably Daniel Ricciardo’s return chance with Red Bull that has motivated him to engage in the risky AlphaTauri move. However, in this process, a Red Bull prodigy has become a victim.

After de Vries’ departure, Liam Lawson of Red Bull‘s junior program was in a position to become the next driver to make their F1 debut. But given the advantage that Daniel Ricciardo’s presence will give the team, Red Bull opted to bring the Honey Badger instead of Lawson. On ESPN’s Unlapped podcast, Nate Saunders accused Max Verstappen and Co to compel Ricciardo to make this move.

He said, “Liam Lawson is also available doing a pretty good job in Super Formula. He didn’t really impress in F2 during his two seasons in it. But Liam Lawson – Who’s the next in line in the Red Bull junior program is second in the Super Formula championship. And I mean, I think Red Bull would like to see him go and win that in total.”

Later revealing how Lawson was sacrificed by Red Bull to make Daniel Ricciardo enter the Red Bull umbrella,and how the 34 year old had no other options,  he added, “ But of course, if you would say to Liam Lawson, what would you rather do, Finish your Super Formula championship or jump in an AlphaTauri? He’d jump in jump in AlphaTauri. So, Daniel, I think he had to take it from that point. I don’t know if he just said Oh no give it to Liam then I think you’re probably right off next year as well. So I don’t think you have any choice and you have a much bigger risk to turn around and say no this don’t work. “

READ MORE:  Max Verstappen & Co’s Devious Plan to Throw Out Sergio Perez Exposed After Sacking of Nyck De Vries

Although as much of the news of the honey badger’s comeback has spread excitement for Danny Ricc’s fans, the same emotion can’t be felt for Sergio Perez. The Mexican is certainly on the downward graph, however, his courage and self-belief haven’t yet left him amid the speculation of Ricciardo haunting his seat.

What did Sergio Perez have to say amid Daniel Ricciardo’s Alpha Tauri gamble?

Sergio Perez missed five qualifying sessions in a row at the Silverstone Grand Prix, where he failed to enter in Q3. According to another statistic. he hasn’t started inside the top 10 in any of his last five races,  These statistics speak volumes about Perez’s horrible play. Amidst that, the news that Daniel Ricciardo has joined Red Bull’s sister team would have undoubtedly caused the Mexican driver a great deal of stress.

However, Perez claims that he doesn’t feel any pressure regarding his seat and performance owing to his expertise of performance under pressure in the teams like racing points and with Red Bull, a company whose principle of “Performance first” has been proven over time and again.

When asked by Motorsport.com about how he was dealing with the news and whether he is ignoring the headlines, the Mexican driver responded, ” Yeah, fully. I couldn’t care less if I’m honest about that. I’ve been in F1 13 years, and I’ve seen it all. Not worried about any of that. I’m mainly focused on getting my season on track, and making sure I keep enjoying this.”

Do you think that Ricciardo’s entry under Red Bull’s umbrella will anyways be adding pressure of improving on Sergio Perez?

WATCH THIS STORY | Will Daniel Ricciardo Get Swapped in for Sergio Perez at Red Bull?