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Daniel Ricciardo will make a return to Red Bull as their third driver for the 2023 Formula 1 season. Ricciardo, who will depart from McLaren after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, was confirmed by Red Bull Advisor Helmut Marko following FP1 to Sky Germany . While Max Verstappen is on a multi-year contract with the team and Sergio Perez's runs until 2024, Ricciardo has said that he was looking at a reserve role for 2023 to work on options for the following year. The Australian made his debut with Red Bull during the 2014 season, having spent two years at junior team Toro Rosso. He spent five seasons with the team before making a switch to Renault in 2019, then subsequently McLaren in 2021. Despite taking the team's first win since 2012 at last year's Italian Grand Prix, Ricciardo has not met McLaren's performance expectations throughout 2022. Even though Ricciardo will take up the third driver role, Liam Lawson is expected to be the reserve driver for both A...

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has backtracked on claims that Daniel Ricciardo is set to return to the team as a reserve driver in 2023. Ricciardo has lost his spot on the grid for next season after poor performances at McLaren, and could not find an alternative. He has explored options at Mercedes and Red Bull for a reserve and third driver position, with the latter deemed the most likely destination, having raced there between 2014 and 2018. On Friday in Abu Dhabi, Marko appeared to confirm on Sky Germany that the deal was done for Ricciardo to shadow Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, but now says this is not the case. "I said if we take him as a third driver. The 'if' was lost," he explained to Motorsport Magazine. "We are talking to him but nothing has been signed yet." As for the race weekend in Abu Dhabi, Marko believes things will be a "bit closer in qualifying" but expects Red Bull to hold an advantage in the race, with Vers...

Helmut Marko feels that "order has been restored " after Red Bull secured a 1-2 in qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Max Verstappen claimed pole position in Saturday's session, with Sergio Perez joining him on the front row. Perez praised his teamwork with Verstappen after qualifying, seemingly drawing a line under the team orders controversy that affected the team last time out in Brazil. The performance in Abu Dhabi has left Marko feeling relieved. "First and second place! After the fiasco in Brazil, we are happy that the order has been restored ," Marko told Austrian broadcaster Servus TV . Marko was impressed by how Verstappen managed some issues that arose during the session. "Verstappen's dashboard failed twice, but he was not bothered by that," he continued. "At another point there was another problem with the front wing, but at the moment it counted, Max just delivered!" ...

Helmut Marko believes that a key " mistake " cost Sergio Perez time after the Mexican lost out on P2 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Perez had gone into the race on level points with Charles Leclerc as the pair battled for second place in the World Championship behind Max Verstappen. While Leclerc opted for a one-stop strategy in the Grand Prix, Perez went for a two-stop and made his second visit to the pits relatively early. The Red Bull driver cut into Leclerc's lead over him in the latter stages of the race, but ultimately was unable to reach the Monegasque who claimed P2, while the win went to Verstappen. Perez ended the day in third, meaning that the Milton Keynes-based squad missed out on clinching their first ever 1-2 in the Drivers' Championship. Marko not losing sleep over Perez missing out on P2 Despite the team failing to secure what would have been a debut ...

Helmut Marko says he is able leave Red Bull whenever he chooses, but remains committed to heading the Formula 1 young drivers' programme. Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz passed away in October after a long illness, with Marko being a special advisor to him on driving matters and identifying talents such as Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen - the two drivers to win world titles for the team. Despite the passing of Mateschitz, Marko says he still has the "fire" burning within him as he approaches his 80th birthday - on April 27th next year. Viewed by others: Red Bull Racing Horner: Knives were out for 'targeted' Red Bull in 2022 ...

Helmut Marko believes that Lewis Hamilton will return to the top step of the podium in 2023, following his first winless season. Red Bull claimed their first championship 'double' since the 2013 season, ending Mercedes ' run of Constructors' Championships in the process. Ferrari's battle against Red Bull fizzled out midway through the season, with Mercedes recovering from a poor start to challenge for P2 in the Constructors' standings. It led many to believe Mercedes could continue their recovery and stake a claim for the 2023 championships. When asked by SportBild if he believed Mercedes or Ferrari would be the stronger opponents in 2023, Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Marko pointed towards the Silver Arrows, due to the presence of seven-time World Champion, Lewis Hamilton. "Ferrari is strong, but Mercedes will be stronger in the overall package. Especially with a driver like Lewis Hamilton . He's still a top driver," commented Mark...

Red Bull driver boss Helmut Marko has doubts over whether Sergio Perez has the ability to challenge Max Verstappen for the 2023 Formula 1 title . In their second season together in 2022, Verstappen dominated the campaign by claiming 15 wins, setting a new all-time season record while also hauling a record-breaking number of points. Perez meanwhile won twice - in Monaco and Singapore - and was just pipped to second place in the standings by Charles Leclerc of Ferrari in the Abu Dhabi finale. Viewed by others: Oscar Piastri Szafnauer: Alpine would close 'Piastri loopholes' in future driver deals Indycar ...

Following the highs of winning in Saudi Arabia and proving he has the pace to compete with teammate Max Verstappen, the Australian Grand Prix quickly turned into a desperate weekend for Sergio Perez. The Mexican struggled on the Saturday morning with engine braking problems, then crashed out of qualifying later in the day which put him at the back of the grid. But Perez battled his way through the field in the race and managed to stay out of the chaos at the end, eventually finishing in P5. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes he got the most of out a tough weekend. "This wasn't his weekend, but he took that fastest race lap and that will feel like a kind of reparation after Jeddah. There, of course, he also wanted the fastest lap," he said to ServusTV . "In the race [Australia] he got the most out of it. We knew overtaking here isn’t easy, or even very tricky, and prior to the race we already took seventh or sixth place into account." Vi...

Helmut Marko has addressed claims that Sebastian Vettel could take over from him as head of Red Bull's young Formula 1 driver programme. Vettel retired from F1 at the end of 2022 with 53 wins and four world titles, having been the first driver to graduate to Grand Prix racing from the young Red Bull programme in 2007. He would win the first race for Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) and the senior Red Bull team, claiming four of their six drivers' titles - with fellow graduate Max Verstappen the other two. Owing to his racing experience, push for equality and raising awareness of climate change, Vettel has been touted as an ideal replacement for Marko - who turns 80 on Thursday and whom has addressed those claims. "We are still in contact," Marko explained to Blick. "Seb is still in the self-discovery phase at the moment, I don't think he wants to Travel to every race again and work more with significantly less pay!" ...

Damon Hill believes that Nyck de Vries is facing a " typical routine " from the Red Bull stable amid speculation over his future in F1 . Rumours emerged after the Miami Grand Prix that de Vries' seat at AlphaTauri could be under threat, with some reports suggesting that Daniel Ricciardo could be in the frame to replace him should his performance not improve. While this idea was denied by Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko , the Austrian did state that de Vries is on a "yellow card" and "needs to improve" in order to pose more of a challenge to teammate Yuki Tsunoda. With Red Bull having made driver changes mid-season in the past, Hill has been reflecting on whether Marko's "tough" approach yields results. Hill on Marko "[Marko is] a tough teacher, isn't he?" Hill told the F1 Nation podcast. "He's a tough kind of master for drivers and he always has been. I don't know where it comes from....

Helmut Marko has confirmed that Adrian Newey has extended his contract at Red Bull, with the Austrian expecting the Chief Technical Officer to remain with the squad until he retire s. It was reported following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that Newey had signed an agreement to continue in his role. While the news was not officially confirmed by the team, a Red Bull spokesperson told TheFOXposts.Com : "We do not discuss individual contracts. However, you can rest assured that Adrian Newey will be with the team for a considerable amount of time going forward." Marko has now given confirmation of the contract extension, with Newey set to continue with the outfit that he joined back in 2006. Viewed by others: Helmut Marko Marko fires warning after Verstappen loss: Perez has changed at Red Bull ...