Didn't Ricciardo recently say he didn't want to get swapped in this season? He'd rather do the full next season instead of struggling to get up to speed.
I'm still unconvinced by him tbh. He has clearly improved a lot but I'm not sure he's good enough for Red Bull.
If he keeps improving then he might get a chance at some point though.
If I had to guess I'd say:
2024: Verstappen and Perez
2025: Verstappen and Tsunoda/Ricciardo/Lawson
2026: Verstappen and Norris (long term)
Why would Norris go from being team leader to Marko's punching bag? Marko made sure the car and team focused all energy on Vettel at the expense of Webber and the same to Verstappen vs his teammates. Even when Ricciardo was faster he wasn't given a fair shake. Better off staying at McLaren. I mean unless Marko retires, which...fingers crossed
Why would Norris go from being team leader to Marko's punching bag?
To win races and compete at the front of the grid. Being a team leader of an average and inconsistent McLaren team is unlikely to win him anything beyond a few odd podium trophies per season.
Brutal, but not unexpected. T’is the Red Bull way. Which, honestly, I think is preferable to the humble bragging, corporate style bullshit, or straight-up nepotism you get from some of the other teams…