Telling signs from Helmut Marko and Christian Horner at Hungarian GP have fans convinced Daniel Ricciardo will take over from Sergio Perez at Red Bull

Two grid interactions just before the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix have convinced F1 fans that Daniel Ricciardo’s return to driving for Red Bull is imminent.

In scenes lighting up social media, many supporters speculated that the Aussie would drive alongside series leader Max Verstappen next season after seeing him greeted by two of the team’s top men.

Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko and team principal Christian Horner both sent their congratulations to Ricciardo as he waited on the starting grid for the race to begin before finishing 13th in his debut drive for AlphaTauri.

Sergio Perez finished third behind Verstappen despite the team’s car completely outclassing the rest of the field, and dozens of fans feel he is on borrowed time at Red Bull.

“Lmao, they want him in that RB so much they don’t even hide it. Really favorite kid behavior,” one fan posted on Reddit after seeing Marko and Horner take the time to visit Ricciardo.

Another posted on Twitter: “RIP Perez on the second seat.”

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner (circled, right) also sent his best wishes to Ricciardo in Hungary

Marko was impressed with Ricciardo’s drive at the Hungaroring, especially considering he had the whole field behind him after a collision early in the race.

His happy salutation for the Aussie was unusual for the famously moody head of Red Bull’s driver development program.

Ricciardo also finished ahead of AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who eventually crossed the line in 15th.

“It was a very confident and mature performance,” Marko told Sky Sports Germany.

‘He [Ricciardo] lost three or four places due to the collision [with Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu] after the start. Thirteenth place is fine.

“But it’s also the positive momentum he brought to the team and a stabilization of the technical explanations and changes – the driver change worked out perfectly.”

Perth native Ricciardo recently replaced Dutchman Nyck de Vries, who was suspended after failing to score a point from 10 races.

The Australian was relatively pleased with his own performance, but knows top 10 finishes with Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri will be tough.

Daniel Ricciardo recovered from a slow start to finish 13th in the Hungarian Grand Prix

The Australian returned to the sport earlier this month after signing a short-term contract with AlphaTauri to replace Nyck De Vries

Ricciardo (pictured in action in Hungary) will then return to the belt for the Belgian GP on July 30

He “feels energized” after his stint as reserve, having been replaced at McLaren in the off-season by compatriot Oscar Piastri.

“I really feel that just having this half year off, even if it wasn’t the full year I expected, has definitely reset me and I feel energized again,” said Ricciardo.

“Sure, there’s nerves, there’s excitement, there’s a lot of these things, but sometimes we probably forget to remind ourselves to take it in and just smile in the moment.”

“I was just trying to enjoy myself and of course you still make sure you stay focused, but just enjoy it.”

Ricciardo will then return on July 30 for the Belgian Grand Prix.