Ricciardo confirms: goal is to become Verstappen's teammate again

Speaking to the media present in Hungary, Ricciardo said. "If I want to get back into Red Bull, it takes a process or a way to get there and for me that [racing for AlphaTauri] is the best way at the moment," he is quoted by Motorsport-Total.com.

While the Perth-based driver drove the RB19 at the Silverstone circuit last week, this coming weekend he will have to do it in an AlphaTauri, probably the slowest car in the field. It is a lot harder to impress in the AT04 than in a Red Bull.

Ricciardo wants to become Verstappen's teammate

What Ricciardo needs to do to qualify for a spot at Red Bull? "Obviously the dream as I said is a Red Bull seat but there’s no like ‘this is what you need to do’. Everything has happened so quick. Obviously the test was the first box I needed to tick. That was great, but now it’s like another hurdle. They are not like ‘take it easy, they are like show us what you’ve got’. But there’s no real criteria at the moment. But I need to show something, for sure, for next year and beyond, there’s no guarantees. Probably ever, with this sport."

But - stresses Yuki Tsunoda 's new teammate - it is only a distant dream. "There is no point in me thinking about that. There is going to be a lot of work to do here. In terms of expectation, there is none. For me, everything I felt driving the car last week is what I want from racing, to be in the moment, enjoying it and not thinking too far ahead," he told Crash.net and others .

Sergio Perez is still with Red Bull until the end of 2024, so on the face of it, 2025 seems to be Ricciardo's first opportunity to realise his dream. However, it is not completely out of the question that an opportunity could present itself as early as next season, if the Mexican continues to underperform.