Guess who’s back, back again? It is the beloved Honey Badger in the iconic RB7 with the beating heart of V10. Daniel Ricciardo‘s season has re-routed itself. He was dropped from McLaren and paid to not drive at the beginning of this season. But now he is eyeing the RB19 seat for good reasons. With Perez not performing at par, Ricciardo’s wish for a fairytale return to F1 could soon come to fruition.

Sergio Perez and the soft tires in F1 have a few things in common. They reach the ideal temperatures significantly quicker. Compared to mediums and hards, they give you a bit more pace, however, they fall apart first and before you know it, from P1 you finish P16. At Red Bull, this is unacceptable. Perez went from challenging Max Verstappen for the driver’s title, to finishing P16 in Monaco and barely making it to Q3 in subsequent races. Fearing the losing battle against emerging likes of McLaren, Ricciardo was revived in the driver’s lineup albeit for AlphaTauri.

However, before the former McLaren driver could prove to Red Bull that he lost all the ‘bad habits he picked at McLaren’, he had an untimely retirement. At Zandvoort, Ricciardo crashed in the free practice. The impact of the crash led to a wrist injury which has kept him out of the AlphaTauri car for the last five races, until now. Ricciardo is all set to return for his favorite race all season. “Alrighty,” he says, all smiles and giddy for the F1 return.

However, no matter the love for Ricciardo in the Formula 1 community, fans believe these are subtle jabs at Perez and they are not here for it.

‘…disrespectful for Perez,’ Daniel Ricciardo welcomed but Perez slander not acceptable

Daniel Ricciardo started racing as a Red Bull driver in 2014. However, after a tough year with Verstappen, Ricciardo left for McLaren. Fast-forward five years since his departure, he is back at Red Bull’s sister outfit AlphaTauri. However, ahead of the US Grand Prix, the Australian teased his fans by getting back in the Red Bull car that dominated the grid in 2011. Many fans are ecstatic about the Australian’s return.

“Dang dawg I’m super upset I missed out on this. Good to see you back in the blue jumpsuit though.”

Fans view this move as an unofficial statement from RedBull and Ricciardo. They couldn’t be more happy.

“You belong in that team and that RedBull car.”

Starting the season as the third driver for RedBull, Daniel Ricciardo has treaded a long way.

“Looking gooooood in that RedBull seat NGL”

Since his retirement, fans have been eagerly waiting for him to return to not just his AlphaTauri seat but to Red Bull.

“Back where you belong. Keep smiling.”

Fans are aware of the mounting pressure on Perez. With constant warnings from Helmut Marko and Ricciardo’s return, things are not looking good for the Mexican driver. Some caught on to the apparent tactics of Red Bull.

“intimidating Checo Perez”

READ MORE: “Brought Me Back to Normal Daniel:” Ricciardo Outlines the Cathartic Process That Made Him Shrug Off Horrors of McLaren Past

“Checo is a legend,” Verstappen said after he won his first world title in Abu Dhabi. Holding off Lewis Hamilton during the crucial laps, Perez aided Verstappen to close the gap to the Mercedes Driver. Fans believe Red Bull may have forgotten the heroics of the Mexican Minister of Defence.

“This is just plain disrespectful for Perez as much as he’s done for y’all he gave Max two titles y’all should be ashamed.”

Although Perez may be having a difficult time at Red Bull at the moment, some fans are asking the outfit why they think Ricciardo could do any better than the Mexican Driver.

“Can’t do better than Yuki in same livery…..but is gonna be better than Checo? Yeah right, it’s all personality and not enough ability. Jeez, even Lawson did better.”

Red Bull has raked a lot of criticism lately for their driver culture. The return of the prodigal son has left fans divided. Some of welcomed the move citing the lack of lustre performance of Perez. Others believe this is extremely disrespectful to the man who has contributed to the Red Bull dominating the grid.

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

The chaos in the Red Bull driver lineup is real. With the teams closing the gap to Red Bull, the dip in performance could undermine the six-time constructors and their dominance. Has the countdown for Checo Perez in his RB19 already begun?