With the resigning of Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo finally back from his wrist injury, Red Bull finally can put their driver drama behind them. Well, maybe. Red Bull has shown in the past that they are fearless in removing drivers from the number 2 seat in the middle of the season. To be fair, their actions have been more of a recent trend and are not historical a staple of their driver operations. However, the fact remains that Red Bull has pulled drivers after publicly saying their seats were safe. So whenever they do say that, fans are always a bit hesitant to believe them. Thus, we ask the same question as we have the last few seasons: Is the Red Bull number two seat actually secure? 

Personally, I believe that Perez’s seat is secure for the remainder of the 2023 season at the very least. I know this solely because Red Bull’s Christian Horner has been very vocal about wanting to secure a 1-2 position in the Drivers’ Championship; something Red Bull has never been able to achieve. If Red Bull were to drop Perez now, there would be no way they could possibly get the number two slot unless they were to sign a driver with the points required already earn. While I believe Perez’s seat to be secure for 2023, the 2024 season is where it becomes a bit murkier. If Perez were to get third in the championship, which is very possible with Lewis Hamilton breathing down his next, I am not so sure he will keep his seat. This ultimate goal of the 1-2 finish should have been easy peasy for Perez considering the car he has in his garage. If Red Bull were that upset about it, I could see the swap happening post season. Am I advocating for a number 2 driver to lose his seat for getting 3rd place, absolutely not. I am only saying that I could understand the team’s position should they make that call. To me, the real drama comes in the form of what happens after Perez is removed if that were to happen. One thing Red Bull currently has is loads of driver talent. A problem most teams could only dream of.

The obvious choice is to put Daniel Ricciardo back in at Red Bull and swap Perez straight up. He is a 9-time Grand Prix winner and so far the only in-team driver to steal wins off of Max Verstappen. I believe if the Honey Badger himself got the opportunity, he would challenge Max like he has not had in previous teammates. I don’t think Ricciardo would win out over the course of the season, but getting Max to step up his game from his already monstrous performance would be a tour-de-force. It’s the ideal situation for Red Bull. Getting a great number 2 while making your number 1 driver even better. The only problem with promoting Ricciardo is what happens to Yuki now. Yuki has struggled to push through to that next level in Formula 1 and I was a bit shocked at his resigning to be completely honest. With Liam Lawson’s short but highly effective stint while covering the injured Ricciardo, I was flabbergasted he didn’t get Yuki’s seat. Yuki certainly isn’t not deserving of a seat, but Lawson seems to have more potential. Leaning towards Yuki’s more veteran but average performance versus Liam’s relatively average but fresh-off-the-boat, new hotness show seemed weird to me. I certainly don’t have a direct line to ask Red Bull’s driver operations but it begs the question, why would they keep Yuki unless they have a plan for him? If they were ever going to cut him, now seemed like the perfect time. Red Bull must see something in him if they are continuing their investment. After Yuki’s signing, it wouldn’t surprise me if he were to get the swap with Perez first. Red Bull could always swap Ricciardo in if Yuki doesn’t perform.

The end of the season is fast approaching. If we know anything about Formula 1, it’s that we should expect anything to happen as every season seems to be “silly season” as of late. My hunch is that Perez has burned his bridges at Red Bull, but he is an unmistakable talent they aren’t ready to let go. They will keep him in the seat next year as long as he is performing better than the rest of the grid. Until then, I can only hope that Ricciardo can get a second chance at Red Bull. I wish no ill fate onto Perez, but if he is to be removed, no one deserves a seat more than Daniel Ricciardo. He has suffered through 4 years of rebuilding at 2 different teams showcasing he has a knack for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. As Daniel Ricciardo fans, all was can do is sit back and watch while we pray Red Bull decides to “Lick the stamp, and send it”.