Christian Horner Reveals Why They Chose Daniel Ricciardo to Drive For RB in 2023

Daniel Ricciardo was sacked by Red Bull after the Singapore GP after being reappointed at AlphaTauri (now RB) midway through the 2023 season. After the Aussie’s exit, many questions were raised about his appointment as the Red Bull sister team is all about promoting young talent. Christian Horner reveals why Ricciardo was given the seat.

As per the F1 Nation podcast, Horner mentioned how he didn’t recognize Ricciardo after the McLaren stint. The Honey Badger had little passion left for the sport, and Red Bull signed him to help him rediscover his passion, while also fulfilling the PR and marketing duties. The team promised Ricciardo an opportunity at a drive if a seat became available.

Red Bull says it wants to keep Daniel Ricciardo in an “ambassadorial capacity” but team boss Christian Horner has even left the door slightly ajar for Ricciardo to return to a Red Bull cockpit: pic.twitter.com/RG4DJ9XrPf

— The Race (@wearetherace) October 1, 2024

Speaking with Tom Clarkson, Horner said, “We stuck him for a test in the car in Silverstone, just after the Grand Prix. He knew that was a big test for him because Nyck de Vries had been slightly underwhelming in the AlphaTuari, and of course, we needed a backup solution for Sergio if he weren’t to deliver.”

Despite multiple reports around Perez’s sacking a few times over the last year, the Mexican managed to keep the Red Bull seat. On the other hand, Ricciardo struggled with the broken hand and his form. Cut to the second half of 2024, with Red Bull wanting to give Liam Lawson a seat given the clause in his contract, the Aussie was sacked.

Horner further suggested that the team wants to keep Ricciardo in an ambassadorial capacity. The Red Bull boss suggested that the door will open up for the Aussie if Lawson or Perez don’t get their respective jobs done. Yet, many question why Red Bull decided to stick with Perez despite his poor form.

The dilemma around Perez’s Red Bull seat

The Mexican was reportedly going to be sacked during the summer break after Red Bull’s internal meeting. However, reports suggest that Liberty Media was concerned about the revenue from the Mexican GP and pushed the team to keep Perez. On the other hand, some reports suggest that Perez’s sponsors forced Red Bull to keep the Mexican at the team.

Ricciardo was reportedly going to replace Perez after the summer break, but all the factors postponed the process. Amid all this, Lawson wanted the clause in his contract to be fulfilled, and Ricciardo was sacrificed for the same. The New Zealander’s performance over the next six races will determine whether he’s capable of replacing Perez.

Red Bull also backdated the RB20’s current issues back to an underbody upgrade from 2023. Perez informed the team about the issue, but they ignored it since Verstappen was doing well. Horner admitted his fault and is arguably giving the #11 driver a chance to help the team get rid of the issues with upgrades.