Christian Horner has speculated about which Formula 1 team Daniel Ricciardo could drive for next season. The statements of the Red Bull team boss come at a moment when there are already a lot of rumors about changes in the Austrian team and the sister racing team AlphaTauri.
In the past, Daniel Ricciardo was a regular driver in Formula 1 for twelve years. But this season the Australian, who is incredibly popular with fans, is taking a creative break and only acts in the background as a test and reserve driver at Red Bull.
In 2024, however, the supporters of the premier class could marvel at the 34-year-old again in a cockpit, as Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has now indicated. There has been speculation for a long time that Ricciardo could replace Sergio Pérez this year, who after a good start is now falling well behind World Cup leader Max Verstappen. But Ricciardo will probably not get a (regular) place at Red Bull – as of now.
In the long term, he could be more drawn to AlphaTauri, the sister team of the World Cup dominator. When asked if that was possible, Horner said at the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend: “It’s still very early for next year, and the fact is that Daniel is still under contract for this year.”
However, you will finally see Ricciardo in action again shortly. “He will drive our car for the first time after the British Grand Prix,” said Horner. After the Grand Prix next weekend, test drives are scheduled again, in which the 34-year-old will also take part.
Ricciardo is “clearly a world-class driver,” said Horner. He has already won numerous races. “I think we’ll have to wait and see how he does and what his motivation is,” added the Red Bull team boss, looking back at the test days. “And then it’s a question for AlphaTauri how they decide for the next season.”
The speculation about a Ricciardo “change” to AlphaTauri comes at a time when rookie Nyck De Vries is counted out due to unsatisfactory performance. The Dutchman has not yet collected a single World Championship point in the admittedly weakening AlphaTauri car and usually finds himself at the very end of the field.
Formula 1: Tsunoda wants to “show his worth”
His colleague Yuki Tsunoda is completely different. Although he “only” has two points on the account, he acts much more confidently in the AT04 and is usually right in the middle of the fight for midfield places in the GPs. He barely scratched the points four times with places 11 and 12 respectively, in Australia and Azerbaijan it was even enough for 10th place.
No wonder Tsunoda is already under discussion at Red Bull to replace Pérez in the short or rather long term. The Japanese already indicated that he is ready for it. He recently said to “GiveMeSport”: “I think Checo still has a contract until the end of next year. I’ll focus on myself first and show my worth.”
However, he made no secret of the fact that he felt called to greater things: “I think time will tell anyway. It’s good to stay with AlphaTauri and show my performance to all the teams,” emphasized the 23-year-old, whose contact expires at the end of 2023.
It is quite conceivable that Tsunoda will drive alongside Verstappen at Red Bull next year and that AlphaTauri will regroup with Ricciardo and driver X. The latter could (further) be De Vries if he stabilizes. Young driver Liam Lawson has also been traded. Before the start of the season, Mick Schumacher was also an issue at AlphaTauri.