Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes Daniel Ricciardo is “one of the best guys out there” and hopes he can stay in Formula 1 despite McLaren split
After McLaren announced the separation of Daniel Ricciardo at the end of the current Formula 1 season, the future of the Australian is uncertain. His contract actually ran up to and including 2023, but after the results did not turn out as hoped, it came to an early termination.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner regrets this development. “It’s just very sad,” said the Briton, when asked about Ricciardo. “Obviously I’m not close to the whole thing, but I’ve spoken to Daniel a little bit. I don’t recognise him as the driver he was when he was with us.”
Ricciardo drove for Red Bull Racing from 2014 to 2018, first as teammate to Sebastian Vettel, then Daniil Kwjat and finally Max Verstappen. During that time, the Australian took seven of his eight Grand Prix wins and finished third in the World Championship twice.
Horner: Daniel definitely has what it takes
In2019 he moved to Renault, two years later to McLaren. Both times the hoped-for breakthrough failed to materialise. But Horner insists: “He’s one of the best guys out there. He definitely has what it takes. I hope he finds a place in Formula One.”
“I hope he finds his mojo again because if you remember some of the races he drove for us, like winning the Grand Prix
of Monaco with 50 per cent of the power, he put in some amazing performances,” the team boss reflected on their shared successes at Red Bull.
“You have to consider how he drove alongside Seb when he first came into the team and how close he was obviously with Max as well. It’s obviously tough for him, but I really hope he finds something for the future. “
Ricciardo’s Formula 1 future uncertain
Ricciardo’s failure to see his own future at Red Bull after the 2018 season was largely due to the team’s reliance on the young Verstappen as a future title winner. Asked if he could match him if Ricciardo returned to Red Bull, Horner remained vague in his response.
“We saw how close these two guys were,” he says looking back. “Max has moved on since Daniel left the team. But Daniel – on his day – was on par. He put in some amazing performances and we were sad to see him leave the team.”
After that, Ricciardo was on the podium just three times: twice in third with Renault and once as a surprise winner at Monza with McLaren. But there remained runaways to the top. “His confidence has been knocked,” Horner holds.
“We’re used to seeing him on the podium doing the shoey and frolicking with a big smile. We don’t see that now. I hope for his sake that he finds a way to further his career because I think it would be better for F1 to keep him. “
