Karun Chandhok has offered his thoughts on Sergio Perez potentially having to fend off Daniel Ricciardo for a drive at Red Bull in 2024.
Ricciardo is back at Red Bull for 2023 in a reserve driver role, after his stint at McLaren was brought to an end a year early following a really difficult spell.
The Aussie is returning to familiar territory, then, as he seeks to rediscover some mojo ahead of a potential return in 2024 for a team.
It has, of course, been suggested that perhaps Red Bull could be the team that he returns with - though they've been keen to play that down and Sergio Perez has a contract with them until the end of 2024 - and Karun Chandhok has offered his thoughts on such chatter:
“I’m waiting to see how it plays out because the last time Daniel drove a Red Bull was in 2018, and Formula 1 cars have changed a lot,” he said to Sky F1.
“It’s like a different category now. I think Max [Verstappen] has changed a lot, [given] the trajectory he’s been on. He’s a 25-year-old whose confidence is growing.
“I think Daniel versus Checo is an interesting fight for the ’24 seat. How do they evaluate Daniel?
“That’s what I’m interested to see because, yeah, they can put them in the [simulator], but it’s not the same as driving the old car.
“So, will they give him a go in a test somewhere? That’s what I’d like to see, is how do they genuinely evaluate Daniel Ricciardo today?”
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - NOVEMBER 12: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia driving the (3) McLaren MCL36 Mercedes on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 12, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Ultimately, Perez has done a good job for Red Bull and it doesn't seem like something they really need to change, so why would they?
Ricciardo can use this year to try and rediscover some motivation for F1 and then look for a seat back on the grid, but it's currently hard to see him completing that comeback with the team from Milton Keynes.
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