Horner puts the pressure on Ricciardo: 'It's down to him'

F1 News

Horner responds to Ricciardo exit rumours
28 June at 14:44
  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

Christian Horner has explained his view on Daniel Ricciardo future within the Red Bull Racing family after Helmut Marko appeared to open the door for Liam Lawson, who would thus replace Ricciardo at Red Bull Racing's sister team Visa Cash App RB. Marko did this whilst speaking to the media.

Both Yuki Tsunoda and Sergio Perez have recently signed contract extensions, meaning only one seat remains vacant at VCARB. Daniel Ricciardo, who has been outperformed by teammate Yuki Tsunoda for the majority of the 2024 season, is all but certain of a seat for next year. There is growing speculation that he might face simular treatment as Nyck de Vries did last year, which opened the door for Ricciardo's return

Is Ricciardo under pressure to retain his seat?

Horner admitted that Ricciardo needs to improve his performances during the 2024 Formula 1 season and says he is in control of his own destiny. He makes sure to mention that any driver discussion must happen in-house before speaking to the media, which is what Marko did.

"Anything regarding drivers is going to be dealt with in-house before we talk to the media about it. They're all Red Bull racing drivers and every Red Bull driver knows that there's always a pressure, that there's always a scrutiny. But, Daniel is in the seat and it's down to him to make the most of that. And then, as we see in Formula One things are always fluid," Horner said.

"He knew this was a lifeline for him. His test at Silverstone was outstanding last year which was what provided the opportunity, now it’s up to him to make use of that. I'm sure by his own admission the first part of the season didn't go to plan. But he's started to show signs of the old Daniel. We saw it in Miami. We saw it in the first part of the weekend there. We saw it in Montreal. Peter and Laurent are working closely with him," Horner added.

Marko also hinted that it would be Liam Lawson who would move into the car alongside Yuki Tsunoda should a swap be made. Peter Bayer, the CEO of RB, highlighted how Lawson is waiting in the wings.

"Liam is part of the team, he's our test driver, he's in the simulator as most of you know he'll be in the TPC. We do our job to develop young drivers, but the decision on the second seat will be taken quietly, and we're not in a hurry," Bayer said.