Daniel Ricciardo is set to return to Red Bull as the team’s third driver for the 2023 season, according to Helmut Marko.
It will bring him back to the team he scandalously left in 2019.
He will participate in demonstration runs for the team around the world.
With F2 driver Liam Lawson set to become the team’s official reserve driver for next year, Ricciardo won’t necessarily be a backup for Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez should either of them fail to make it to the race. .
“Ricciardo will be our third driver,” Marko told Sky Germany ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“We have a lot of sponsors, we have to run shows and things like that, so of course he’s one of the most popular and relevant.”
Ricciardo is out of a 2023 race seat after McLaren cut his three-year contract a season early, with the Australian falling short of expectations.
A return to Alpine did not materialize, while Ricciardo has no interest in racing Haas or Williams next year.
He has vowed to return to racing in 2024 “with a vengeance”.
Although a return to Red Bull, the scandalous team he left in 2019, could be seen as a sign Sergio Perez is under pressure, the Mexican driver still has a contract until the end of the 2024 season.
