“What Was Ricciardo Thinking?”: Norris & Leclerc Given Precious Advice by Ex-Ferrari Boss as Fight to Partner Verstappen Intensifies

Red Bull is quickly becoming a very dangerous proposition for any driver to attach their careers to. On the one hand, the Milton-Keynes-based outfit is turning out to be arguably the most dominant team this sport has ever seen. Hence, race wins and podiums are almost guaranteed once you set up shop there. However, alarmingly, on the other end of the argument, becoming teammates with Max Verstappen is almost like signing your own death warrant. So, should the likes of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc make that switch?

As things stand, only Leclerc and Norris seem like the two ideal candidates to replace an underperforming Sergio Perez at Red Bull in the near future. But the question still remains, Is that 2nd Red Bull seat a bane or a boon?

Daniel Ricciardo used to goad Lando Norris towards Red Bull

The last driver who tried to consciously step away from Verstappen’s shadow was Daniel Ricciardo. And truth be told, he has arguably missed out on much more than he gained away from the Bulls. So, if presented with that opportunity, will Norris or Leclerc take the plunge or avoid that particular hot seat?

Ex-Ferrari manager, Peter Windsor tried to explain this predicament on his YouTube channel. He began, “What was Daniel Ricciardo thinking? You know he could’ve been winning Grands Prix this year and he could’ve been up there finishing 2nd behind Max [Verstappen]. Instead of which, currently, sadly he’s not racing again.”

When quizzed about Norris and Leclerc’s chances, he said, “If you said to Lando [Norris], ‘Do you want to continue battling on alongside Oscar Piastri at McLaren…or do you want to be in a Red Bull alongside Max, take your chances and win races when Max has a problem?’ What’s Lando going to say? He’ll say, ‘He absolutely! I don’t want any money, just let me drive the car!'”

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With the heat ramping up on Perez at the Bulls, the final nail in his coffin may have been thumped by Helmut Marko with an honest confession.

Norris gets another step closer to Verstappen alliance

With every passing day, it becomes more difficult for Helmut Marko to hide how desperately he wants Lando Norris to ditch McLaren and join his team. This time around, the Austrian may have out rightly dismissed his own 2nd driver to blurt out what’s actually on his mind.

Marko was quoted by ServusTV as saying, “Perez has a contract until 2024 and Norris has a contract until 2025, unfortunately, it’s that long. He is definitely a candidate for us. At Toro Rosso, we had already reached an agreement with him at the time, until his manager realized there was an option for a McLaren contract. In terms of youth and speed, he would suit us very well.”

Do you see Lando Norris excelling at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen?

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