Christian Horner reveals Helmut Marko wanted to sack Daniel Ricciardo right after Spanish GP
Red Bull boss Christian Horner has revealed that Helmut Marko wanted to sack Daniel Ricciardo well before the Singapore GP.
Christian Horner and Daniel Ricciardo (via IMAGO)
Rumors circulated before the Singapore GP that Daniel Ricciardo would be replaced by Liam Lawson at VCARB. It indeed turned out to be the case and the Singapore GP was Ricciardo’s final F1 race. His poor performances in 2024 prompted the Milton Keynes team to replace him with six rounds left in the season. However, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealed that Helmut Marko had already planned to evaluate Ricciardo well before the Singapore GP.
Daniel Ricciardo‘s 2024 season started with struggles, especially with VCARB’s underperformance in the initial races. Despite upgrades aimed at improving the car, Ricciardo faced issues in adapting to the new package. Christian Horner confirmed that his exit from the team was driven by his lack of consistency, highlighting the Miami GP as a turning point.
Horner highlighted that Ricciardo showed strong performances on Friday and Saturday morning. He demonstrated flashes of his old form by defending against faster Ferraris and pushing the car to its limits. However, his performance was significantly dropped in qualifying and the main race.
I think it was the lack of consistency. I mean, he started the season, you know, roughly. And then Miami was a weekend of two halves. The Friday and Saturday morning was fantastic. And it looked like the Daniel of old defending against Ferraris and, you know, outdriving the car. But then the Saturday afternoon and Sunday were disastrous.
Christian Horner told Pitdebrief.com
At the Spanish GP, Ricciardo’s struggles became clear when he was knocked out in Q1 and finished 18th in qualifying. Horner revealed that Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko had already considered replacing him, as Ricciardo had been under pressure since Miami.
And, you know, even around Barcelona, Helmut [Marko] wanted him out of the car. And there was already a lot of pressure on him there.
Christian Horner added
Christian Horner claims he had done everything in his power to keep Daniel Ricciardo in the team after Spanish GP
Christian Horner revealed that Helmut Marko ordered Daniel Ricciardo’s sacking after Barcelona. However, Horner talked Marko into giving Ricciardo more time to prove himself as he believed he could do it. Without his efforts, the 34-year-old would likely have been removed from the car after Barcelona.
While all drivers face performance pressure, the Honey Badger’s role was particularly critical. The team viewed him as a potential replacement for Sergio Perez at Red bull if Checo failed to meet their expectations.
I’ve done my very best to buy him as much time in the car to allow him to deliver. So otherwise he would have been out of the car after Barcelona. And I think all the drivers are under pressure to deliver. But the reason that Daniel [Ricciardo] was in that car was to get himself back into a position to ultimately be there to pick up the pieces if Checo [Pérez] didn’t deliver.
Christian Horner stated
Red Bull hoped for Ricciardo to improve his performance after Barcelona as they considered him as Perez’s replacement. However, Ricciardo failed to meet the team’s expectations, leading the Milton Keynes-based squad to replace him with Liam Lawson.
Gaurang Kadam
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