Daniel Ricciardo, a link between Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez

After being dismissed by McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo returned to Red Bull as a third driver and made his first appearance on the track in Melbourne. But his return to the wheel of an F1 seems as far off today as it did at the time of his departure last year, as the Australian recently revealed that he still intends to come back to Formula 1 but only with a top-tier team.

Even though he keeps an eye on the next season for his future, Daniel Ricciardo seems to have embraced his new role at Red Bull, which is both that of a test driver and responsible for public relations. He does a lot of marketing work. He works extensively on the simulator, then on car development and support during Grand Prix weekends, explains Christian Horner.

His « energy » is appreciated within the stable

During an interview on the “Talking Bull” podcast by Red Bull, Christian Horner praised the energetic character of the Australian. The boss of the Austrian team even ensures that Max has learned a lot from him in the early years and admits that Daniel plays a different role this year as a unifying force.

I think that having his energy around both drivers allows them to feel more comfortable. It’s less awkward between them, especially when they’re competing against each other and they both appreciate him because he’s that kind of person. You can’t not like Daniel Ricciardo.

A Different Ricciardo with Other Teams

The team boss also specified Daniel Ricciardo’s sporting role within the team, but ruled out the possibility of him participating in the free practice sessions. He will not do FP1 but he will do tire testing for us, and any opportunity like this to have a driver of Daniel’s quality and caliber on the bench is phenomenal for us.

But for Christian Horner, Ricciardo’s experiences at Renault (from 2019 to 2020) and McLaren (from 2021 to 2022) didn’t bring him only positive results: He left and experienced being part of several different teams, and in these past two years, we haven’t seen the true Daniel. The British boss even assures that these years away from the Red Bull family could have led Daniel Ricciardo to leave Formula 1 if the team hadn’t thrown him a lifeline.

« We had the impression that it was too early for him to end his career. He is the kind of person who lights up a room when he enters, so it was great to bring him back in a different role this year. » Christian Horner is confident that this year, even as a reserve driver, in the team where he won his first races (7 in total), will allow the Australian to « start falling in love with this sport again ».

« When he came back, it wasn’t the same Daniel we had recognized. He was driving differently. He didn’t have the same appearance. He had lost a significant amount of weight and had lost his confidence, his assurance, but gradually, it is coming back. » We will see if this fresh wind brought in will allow Red Bull to maintain its infernal pace from the beginning of the 2023 season.