The rapid rookies queuing up to race for Red Bull F1
Daniel Ricciardo is the F1 driver everyone wants. Fortunate then that his potential replacements look just as fast…
DANIEL RICCIARDO holds all of the cards. The 2018 season may only be a few races old but Formula 1’s 2019 driver market already revolves around the Australian. He’s being courted by Mercedes, Ferrari and his current employer Red Bull – and that was before he blitzed the field in last month’s Chinese Grand Prix. The bad news for Mercedes and Ferrari, though, is that – perhaps unfashionably in modern sport – Ricciardo values loyalty. Red Bull gave him his F1 break and if they can offer a winning car, he’ll most likely stay for a sixth successive season. But he won’t come cheap. He’ll demand at least the same €20 million a year that the team is paying Max Verstappen.
But Ricciardo might lose faith in Red Bull’s limited power unit options (either Renault or Honda) and leave. Here, then, is the three-way battle for the second Red Bull seat.
DANIEL RICCIARDO
HOW HANDY? He’s a smidgen slower than Max Verstappen in qualifying (137 to Max last year), but Ricciardo’s clinical race performances more than make up for any lack of one-lap pace. He’s consistent, opportunistic and you won’t ind a better overtaker in the business. Ask Lewis. Or Valtteri. Or Sebastian.
MARKETING GOLD? Whether it’s his Hollywood one-liners (‘Holy Testicle Tuesday’) or his A-list smile, he oozes star quality. His charisma is such that he’s created a comedy niche among his peers that’s his alone.
TEAM PLAYER? Happy-go-lucky outlook brings out the best in everyone, including Max Verstappen. The Dutchman is naturally introverted and Red Bull’s engineers believe that Ricciardo’s joshing and messing around helps Max to relax, making him a better racing driver. When he’s not crashing.
RED BULL IN 2019 – HOW LIKELY? 70%
PIERRE GASLY
HOW HANDY? The Toro Rosso (Red Bull’s B-team) driver is in his irst full F1 season but looks like the real deal. Magniicent in Bahrain, Gasly started ifth and inished a career-best fourth. But he’s still prone to mad moments – witness his hero-to-zero collision with teammate Brendon Hartley in China. Could beneit from a second season at Toro Rosso in 2019.
MARKETING GOLD? He’s quick-witted and punchy in conversation – very ‘Red Bull’, in fact – which makes for good interviews, although this sometimes earns him the wrath of Helmut Marko, the boss of Red Bull’s young driver programme, who prefers a more conservative outlook.
TEAM PLAYER? Like all young drivers, he’s in it for himself. But he’s a£able and willing to please, and he can be called upon at any time of the day or night, according to his engineers.
RED BULL IN 2019 – HOW LIKELY? 40%
CARLOS SAINZ
HOW HANDY? Fast. He out-qualiied Max Verstappen 109 in 2015 but was overlooked in favour of Verstappen when Red Bull came calling with a spare seat. Worryingly, he hasn’t looked good against Nico Hulkenberg at Renault. In their opening seven races together, the Hulk has out-qualiied him on six occasions. Carlos needs to reverse this trend.
MARKETING GOLD? He’s got it all: multilingual, good-looking, engaging and he has a famous dad. (Carlos senior is a two-time world rally champion, who once had a trial for Real Madrid.) Also likes eating burgers.
TEAM PLAYER? Knows the Red Bull set-up inside out, having been on the payroll since he embarked on his single-seater career in 2010. He’s on loan to Renault this year, but Red Bull have irst dibs on his services for 2019. Where do his loyalties lie?
RED BULL IN 2019 – HOW LIKELY? 50%