Max Verstappen is seriously at risk of disqualification due to penalty points accumulated in recent months on his super license. The regulations state that upon reaching 12 points, an automatic suspension for an entire race weekend is triggered, as recently happened in Formula 3 to the young Italian Nicola Lacorte. Currently, the four-time World Champion has accumulated 11 points: only one more is enough to force him to miss a Grand Prix.
This possibility immediately sparked speculation on social media, where the discussion about his replacement began. Among the most popular names with fans is Daniel Ricciardo, beloved by the public and Verstappen’s former teammate during their time at Red Bull.
However, according to the current internal hierarchy within the Red Bull group, a different scenario is more likely. The team actually has several options, also thanks to the presence of the satellite team Racing Bulls. In case of Max Verstappen’s suspension, it is more realistic to imagine a temporary promotion of either Isack Hadjar or Liam Lawson alongside Yuki Tsunoda.
This move would in turn create a vacancy at the Faenza-based team, which could be filled by reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa or, alternatively, by the emerging Arvid Lindblad, should the FIA grant him a special exemption to obtain his super license early.
Despite everything, Daniel Ricciardo remains the most popular name among the fans of the six-time Constructors’ Champions. And although his return to Red Bull today seems little more than a dream, hope among supporters continues to run high. We just have to wait for the upcoming rounds of the World Championship to see if this scenario, now only hypothetical, could really become reality.
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