Daniel Ricciardo recently returned to F1 with AlphaTauri after an eight-month gap from the sport. Even though AlphaTauri is a part of Red Bull, Ricciardo’s main aim is to return to being Max Verstappen’s teammate on the main team. However, coming into 2023, many criticized his age. However, Christian Horner does not think it will be something that stops his Red Bull return, as per Motorsport.
Ricciardo left Red Bull at the prime of his career in search of fresher challenges. He went to Renault in 2019 before moving to McLaren two years later. However, he failed to achieve much-needed success in both these teams and was left without a seat at the end of the 2022 season.
He’s back! Welcome home, @DanielRicciardo 🇦🇺 #DR3ack pic.twitter.com/LlA4OX6Oab
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) November 23, 2022
After losing his seat following his McLaren sacking, the honey badger joined Red Bull. Notably, the return was not in an F1 seat, but as a reserve driver behind Verstappen and Perez. That is not where his aim stops, and now he plans on returning as the Austrian team’s main driver. However, is it too late for Ricciardo to be thinking of a comeback?
Horner reveals if it’s too late for Daniel Ricciardo
It is no secret that Daniel Ricciardo is planning to join Red Bull and certainly believes that he has what it takes to compete at a top team. Talking about this, Red Bull team principal Horner made it clear that Ricciardo won’t lose out on an opportunity because of his age.
At a time when plenty of drivers want to drive a Red Bull, Ricciardo vying for a seat alongside Verstappen in 2025 is not a surprise. Talking about this, the British boss said, “I don’t see age as a barrier.”
buongiorno ｃａｒｐａｃｃｉｏ🤌🤌
it’s one week to the Dutch GP!! pic.twitter.com/7AWfxTzY5G— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) August 20, 2023
Admittedly, Red Bull’s current driver Sergio Perez is just six months younger than Daniel Ricciardo. If Perez can maintain his performance at his age, there is no reason for Red Bull to make that a parameter while discussing future options.
Age has not been a barrier for top drivers, believes Horner
After Ricciardo made his return to AlphaTauri [formerly Toro Rosso], he impressed the top bosses at Red Bull. Despite driving a slow AlphaTauri, he managed to get into Q2 twice and started the race from P13 in Hungary.
According to Horner, age has not been an issue for most top drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Hamilton is 38 years old, while Alonso is 42 years and they are both still on top of their game.
Therefore, if young drivers such as Lando Norris or the Red Bull academy stars do not arrive at Milton Keynes, there might be chances that the Austrian team will swap Perez for another experienced driver in Ricciardo. However, if Perez can keep his game up, any switch seems unlikely.
