He’s regaining his mojo
Daniel Ricciardo has been sidelined in Formula 1 for a while this year, but Red Bull team boss Christian Horner thinks that is good for the Australian. There is also still a bit of ‘real work’ for him this year.
After Daniel Ricciardo was sidelined by McLaren last year for disappointing results, his old team Red Bull Racing has given him a spot as third driver. Not the real deal, but probably Ricciardo’s best option for 2023. Moreover, Ricciardo really seems to enjoy being back at his old base, even if it is undoubtedly a bit painful.
Team boss Christian Horner sees him flourish in any case. “Daniel brings positive energy and it’s great to see him mojo again and to see that big grin. The whole room lights up when he enters,” said Horner, according to the official website of Formula 1. Horner does not notice that Ricciardo is disappointed with his current situation. “He really embraces this role. Hopefully he will find his love for the sport again.”
Nice and nice, but of course Ricciardo also just wants to be able to use his racing skills. He provides simulator work for Red Bull, among other things, but the real work will have to wait a while. However, that will come, Horner now explains. “He’ll do some testing for us later in the year. We’ll see how that goes.” Driving an official session is a bit more unlikely. For that, Max Verstappen or Sergio Pérez must drop out before Ricciardo gets that chance, it seems for the time being. Should that happen, Ricciardo is ready, according to Horner. “He’s fit and training hard so he’ll be ready when the opportunity arises.”
Ricciardo on the grid in 2024?
It is still early in the season, so there are not really clear opportunities for Ricciardo in the driver market yet. However, Haas team boss Günther Steiner has already hinted that he thinks Ricciardo is an option for next year, should one of his own drivers be disappointing. Then the price tag should probably become a bit more attractive, because Ricciardo would have deterred Haas with that last year. A place at Red Bull as a regular driver is still further away for the time being. Sergio Pérez still has a contract until 2024 and is performing satisfactorily for the time being. Earlier, Horner indicated that Ricciardo does not have to hope for this.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl