Daniel Ricciardo has been a member of the Red Bull team as a backup driver for most of 2023, and later switched to AlphaTauri to replace Nyck deVries, who was dropped midway through the season due to poor performance.
Every few years, there comes a time in Formula 1 when the entire grid experiences a major shake-up. And as the current situation unfolds, fans have the opportunity to witness such a significant change in the driver line-up in the upcoming 2025 F1 season. This all began just two days ago, when it was announced that Daniel Ricciardo would leave his team after 12 years to join another team on a multi-season contract.
With Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari, he will take the place of another driver. This driver, who is currently with the Scuderia, has issued a statement about his departure and mentioned that his team will provide more updates about his future soon. At present, Carlos Sainz does not have a seat with any F1 team for the 2025 season. However, there is an available seat at Mercedes following Hamilton’s departure. The leading contenders for this coveted position include the current Red Bull recruit and the driver for Visa Cashapp Racing Bulls.
Daniel Ricciardo is an extremely experienced racer who has had several stints with renowned teams such as and . In 2023, he briefly served as a test driver before returning to AlphaTauri to replace Nyck deVries. However, it has been stated that there is no chance of Daniel joining Mercedes to fill Hamilton’s spot, according to Helmut Marko’s comments.
Although Lewis Hamilton is moving from one top seat in Formula 1 to another, there are numerous talented drivers vying for the seat he is leaving behind at Mercedes. While Daniel Ricciardo may not be able to take this opportunity due to his contract with Red Bull, Alex Albon has reportedly made an attempt to catch Mercedes’ attention.
On the other hand, an emerging driver currently competing in Formula 2, Kimi Antonelli, could also make his debut with the Silver Arrows in place of Lewis Hamilton. Kimi Antonelli has demonstrated exceptional talent by winning several karting championships as well as the German and Spanish F4 titles. Mercedes decided that he was ready to compete for DAMS in the FIA Formula 2, skipping F3 altogether.
In the coming days, it is rumored that the driver situation in Formula 1 will become even more complex as several drivers’ contracts are set to expire. It remains to be seen if there will be any major shifts in the F1 world, similar to when Lewis Hamilton announced his move to Ferrari.