Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso deny rumors about their Red Bull move

On Thursday, veteran drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso refuted rumors that they were planning to quit their current teams and go with Red Bull for the next campaign.

The 42-year-old two-time world champion Alonso fiercely dismissed rumors that he will leave the Aston Martin team to replace world champion Max Verstappen with Sergio Perez.

“The usual paddock rumors from people who try to make fun of it and gain some followers (on social media)” was how he rejected the rumors.

In remarks to media ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix this coming weekend, he said, “I will ensure that there are repercussions.”

A team official told the Spaniard not to go any further when he was pressed to elucidate.

Along with dismissing rumors that he is set to take Perez’s spot, Ricciardo emphasized how thrilled he is to be returning to Formula One competition with Alpha Tauri.

The 34-year-old Australian said he was only focused on Alpha Tauri and keeping up his strong form after finishing a thrilling seventh in the Mexico Grand Prix on Sunday after qualifying fourth.

“To be honest, as far as that goes, everything that has to do with my contract for next year has to do with Alpha Tauri,” he said to reporters.

His outstanding effort moved Alpha Tauri up to eighth place in the constructors’ championship, making it the team’s best of the year.

“I think that spending a weekend in Mexico is very beneficial to one’s soul,” he said.

Additionally, for the group. Although I haven’t been here long, it was impressive that they moved up two spots in only two weekends to rank 10th in the constructors.

That, in my opinion, makes everyone in the area incredibly happy. That makes me pleased, and I’ll strive to simply keep moving forward at my current pace.

Following his recovery from a broken hand, the Australian returned to form, sparking rumors that he will be moved up from Red Bull’s youth squad to their senior team.

Though Perez crashed out of the race in Mexico on Sunday, Red Bull team director Christian Horner has so far continued to have trust in the struggling driver, saying the team would help him restore confidence.

Max Verstappen, the recent three-time world champion who triumphed in Mexico, and Daniel Ricciardo competed together for Red Bull for two seasons, from 2016 to 2018.

He said that he had liked his relationships with both Perez and Ricciardo, but that he had not had any discussions about switching teammates.

“It’s unfair to say who I would prefer because I always had a great relationship with Daniel when we were teammates and I also have one with Checo,” he said.

“I am too focused on my own performance to make these decisions,” the speaker said.