Helmut Marko discusses Daniel Ricciardo as a potential Red Bull contender alongside Max Verstappen
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko claimed that they never considered Daniel Ricciardo as a possible contender to become teammates with Max Verstappen. The Aussie driver has not been spotted in the F1 paddock ever since he stopped racing at the end of the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.
At one point last year, the 35-year-old was amongst one of the candidates to race in the Milton-Keynes outfit and replace a struggling Sergio Perez. However, the Austrian team went with Liam Lawson at the end of the season, with Ricciardo moving out of the sport completely.
Speaking with Formel1.de, Marko revealed that Daniel Ricciardo was in Australia but did not attend the race weekend and was not an option to replace Lawson and pair with Max Verstappen.
"No, that was never considered. Daniel has driven his last race and has stayed away from Formula 1 since then. He was there briefly in Australia, but I think he was gone again on Thursday. This was never a topic," he said.
Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen were teammates from mid-2016 to 2018 and had a relatively close rivalry as teammates, with the former coming out on top twice in three years.
However, the Aussie moved away to Renault and later McLaren, while Verstappen stayed in Red Bull and won four successive world championships in the last four years.
Red Bull advisor chimes in on Max Verstappen's contract amidst struggles
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko stated that they as a team were working on bringing upgrades to the RB21 to enhance the performance of the car and believed that Max Verstappen's contract was not a worry. The Austrian reflected on the Dutch driver's future and said:
"The updates are necessary to ensure that Max can win his fifth world championship. That is the big goal. The whole team is working on that with full dedication. Of course, every top driver has an exit clause if the performance does not meet a certain standard, but those clauses vary. At the moment there is no problem."
"Of course, Max is an important part of our team. He was the only one who could have won the title last year. Now he is clearly the best - if not among the very best - and of course we would like to keep him. But the car has to meet a certain standard for that. And as it seems now, there is no reason - not even contractually - for him to leave," he added.
Max Verstappen has been linked to a move away from the former world champions with the most likely destinations being Mercedes and Aston Martin. However, the 27-year-old has reiterated that he intended to honor his contract that expires at the end of the 2028 season.