Red Bull supremo Christian Horner says reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo is undoubtedly race ready, welcoming the Australian’s return to his former team and his “positive energy”.
Formula 1’s red-hot team boasts two-time world champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, with eight-time grand prix winner Ricciardo waiting in the wings and offering support across the board.
Daniel Ricciardo looks on from the pit wall during practice on Friday.Credit:Getty Images
Asked about the prospect of Ricciardo, 33, slipping into a Red Bull seat if circumstances demanded it, Horner said: “I’d say he’s about 10 minutes away from being ready. He’s in good shape. He’s kept himself fit and well.”
Ricciardo is attending his first grand prix in Melbourne this weekend since the tumult of 2022 when he left McLaren after two seasons. Young Australian Oscar Piastri is the new driver at Ricciardo’s former team, paired with Lando Norris.
F1 veteran Ricciardo is away from the cut and thrust of the sport’s elite for the first time since 2010, having raced for HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault and McLaren for more than a decade.
“It’s great to have him back in blue and back in the team,” said Horner. “This is his first grand prix he’s attending this year. He’s really throwing himself into it – he’s sitting in all the briefings, he’s been working really hard on the simulator as well in the UK doing some race support and development work on that.
Ricciardo with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in a Red Bull team photo.Credit:Getty Images
“Daniel is such a positive energy to have around. It’s great to see him getting his mojo back, to see that big smile on his face.
“He lights up a room whenever he walks in. Even though he’s not driving, he’s still probably the most popular driver here.″
Ricciardo has already flagged his interest in a return to a top-line F1 driving role in 2024, telling The Age last August after his departure from McLaren that came with a multimillion-dollar settlement that he wasn’t finished.
“This isn’t the end for me, but I can’t control anything that lies ahead at the moment. But in terms of me still having the will to compete at the highest level, that’s absolutely still in me,” he said.
Other teams spoke to Ricciardo before he settled on his Red Bull role last November.
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said Ricciardo’s potential availability would be “interesting for everybody in formula one”.
Daniel Ricciardo remains popular with fans.Credit:Eddie Jim
“It’s a little bit early to speak about a driver change already for next year,” said Steiner. Haas has Nick Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen in the garage.
“Let’s see what we are doing with these drivers. For sure, at some point maybe I’ll speak to him [Ricciardo], but I cannot promise anything.
“If he has his year off and knows again what he wants to do. It will be interesting for everybody in formula one.″
Horner said Ricciardo was embracing his change of scenery. “Hopefully, he’ll rediscover his love for the sport. He’ll do a bit of testing for us later in the year. We’ll see how that goes for him.
“It’s a different experience. It must be very tough for him not being a race driver this weekend, but he’s thrown himself [into it] and is embracing this new role.”
The Red Bull leader was also untroubled by any simmering tension between Verstappen and Perez, who have split the honours in the opening two races of the F1 season in the Middle East.
Verstappen topped the podium in Bahrain to kick things off, while Perez was five seconds better than his teammate in Saudi Arabia two weeks later.
The competitive tension between the pair, however, came to the surface when Verstappen chased the fastest lap time – and a bonus point – in Jeddah.
The Mexican appeared agitated when Verstappen secured the championship lead with the extra point.
Horner, however, was highly complimentary of Perez. “He’s done a great job in the first two races this year,” said Horner.
“His confidence is sky-high. That’s exactly what we want – we want two drivers that are going to be pushing and challenging each other.
“Both drivers are pushing each other, which is what you want to see.”
Asked further about any frostiness, Horner said: “There’s no reason why it should [get difficult] between the two. They’re both competitive animals, and they’re both racing drivers, at the end of the day.
“They know the rules of engagement, in terms of it’s team first, particularly at this stage of the year where we know that we don’t have the development capability that other teams have.
“For us, it’s hugely important to bag as many points as we can, get as many into the championships that we can early on.”
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