Damon Hill questions Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull role after McLaren horror show

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Damon Hill has questioned whether Daniel Ricciardo is only at Red Bull ‘for the cameras’ as the Aussie continues to be linked with a permanent race seat in 2024. Ricciardo is currently serving as Red Bull’s test and reserve driver following his exit from McLaren, who dropped him at the end of last season after a lacklustre two-year spell on their books.

Ricciardo has made no secret of his desire to take up a race seat in 2024, with the 33-year-old eager to return to the grid in order to prove that he belongs after seeing his stock tumble during his time at McLaren. It has even been suggested that he could be given a second chance by Red Bull, with Sergio Perez’s long-term future having been called into question as a result of his disappointing form in recent weeks.

Hill, however, has suggested that Red Bull might have only decided to bring Ricciardo back to the team as a result of his marketability rather than as a possible replacement for Perez if the Mexican driver leaves in the near future.

He told Express Sport: “It’s that story about the prodigal son. He ran off, thought the grass was greener somewhere else. It wasn’t and he had of a bit of a torrid time at McLaren. The way that Christian [Horner] is talking, it’s as if they’re trying to rebuild him.

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“They’re trying to resurrect the talent that is there, so it’s possible. He does an awful lot of PR work and I’m just wondering if he’s there for the cameras. I’m hoping that in there is a determined racing driver who wants to prove to everyone that he’s still got it.”

It remains to be seen whether Red Bull will decide to give Ricciardo another opportunity in place of Perez next year, although it would not be a surprise to see the latter stay in spite of his poor performances as of late. He remains tied down to the Austrian outfit until the end of 2024 and has already shown that he can be the perfect companion to Max Verstappen when he has been required to play the team game.

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Hill, meanwhile, was speaking to Express Sport from the Damon Hill Festival of Karting event on Wednesday, during which he got behind the wheel of a kart powered by Zero synthetic fuel. It marked the first time worldwide that a kart had been driven with synthetic fuel, showing the paradigm shifting away from fossil fuels to other carbon-neutral options.

“The great thing is they can just put it straight into the petrol tank and the kart went fine and ran beautifully, that’s a little added excitement for us,” said Hill.

“This charity event, we’ve been doing it for 10 years and it’s for young people with learning disabilities so it’s great to create a little bit more attention for what we’re trying to do and what the charity is trying to do as well. It’s something that is going to be part of our future, I think.”

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