Red Bull told to drop Sergio Perez for F1 star who "deserves" to partner Max Verstappen

If Sergio Perez is fired, Daniel Ricciardo "deserves" to have a chance at a fantastical Red Bull comeback.

Hans-Joachim Stuck, a former Formula 1 driver, has this opinion. The ex-racer from Germany openly admits to being a fan of the Australian and feels that he "belongs" in the sport.

Despite a quicker than anticipated return to the grid, Ricciardo's long-term F1 career is far from certain. He has now competed in two Grands Prix after being called in by AlphaTauri to fill Nyck de Vries' position, who was fired, last month.

His last opportunity to make a name for himself on the F1 circuit will surely be the 10 games remaining in this season, stirring excitement among online betting enthusiasts. With a contract with Red Bull until 2024, Perez is 34 years old and does not suit the typical profile of the driver AlphaTauri desire to have in their racing cars.

But if the team choose to move on from the Mexican racer, Stuck believes Ricciardo will be given the role to prove himself. "This is a man who, in my opinion, belongs in Formula 1," the two-time Le Mans champ said to Eurosport.

"He'll prove that when he's in a good car. I'll keep my fingers crossed for him that he will be Max Verstappen's team-mate if Red Bull can't get along with Sergio Perez anymore. Ricciardo deserves it."

Christian Horner has frequently underlined his commitment to upholding Perez's Red Bull contract. Stuck acknowledges that it is "difficult to foresee" Ricciardo being promoted in his position next season given this situation.

But he went on to say: "I don't know what Helmut Marko is planning and what agreements Perez and Red Bull have with each other. You just have to wait and see, that's an internal story. In any case, I'm happy that Ricciardo is back. I think that's great."

Stuck believes it could be challenging, but he also expects to see the 24-year-old returning to racing soon. He said: "In his current job, Schumacher just has to fight his way through. He will certainly be learning a lot at the moment, both with tests and simulator work.

"But how he gets a cockpit remains to be seen. If you can't show and prove yourself in the race, you'll quickly lose the public eye. So a second year of testing would certainly not do him any good.

"It remains to be seen what Toto Wolff intends to do with him. It's certainly not easy. For me he belongs in Formula 1 – no question. He should be able to show his skills again, in a car he deserves and with a decent team boss."