'Unbelievable' Ricciardo hailed by Red Bull F1 chief after Perez outqualified by AlphaTauri

F1 News & Gossip

'Unbelievable' Ricciardo hailed by Red Bull F1 chief after Perez outqualified by AlphaTauri

Helmut Marko was impressed by Daniel Ricciardo’s performance after qualifying at Sergio Perez's home race

Shay Rogers

Sunday 29 October 2023 16:07

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Helmut Marko has hailed Daniel Ricciardo’s performance at the Mexican Grand Prix, after the AlphaTauri driver qualified an impressive fourth ahead of Sergio Perez at the Red Bull driver's home race.

Just two races into a comeback from a broken wrist, the Aussie is making an impression within the Red Bull camp as the Mexican continues to struggle even with the adoring home fanbase behind him at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Although he has a 39-point cushion ahead of Lewis Hamilton after the Briton's disqualification in Austin last week, the pressure is now ramping up on Perez to secure second place in the drivers’ championship and his team's first ever 1-2 finish.

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Qualifying behind Ricciardo will certainly not have done anything to quieten the voices who believe it's time for change in the second Red Bull seat.

Some F1 fans would like to see Daniel Ricciardo take the Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen, in place of the beleaguered Sergio Perez

Daniel Ricciardo takes on the stadium section during the Mexican Grand Prix weekend

Marko: He was unbelievable

Red Bull advisor Marko has done nothing to ease the pressure on home favourite 'Checo' with his remarks in recent times, and the Austrian gushed over Ricciardo's display after he secured an unlikely P4 grid slot for Sunday's race.

“He was unbelievable. He really drove that car to the best of his abilities and made the most of it,” Marko told Sky Germany.

“It was a great comeback after his injury and something to look forward to for his future.”