Christian Horner eagerly looking forward to Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull test, deems him ‘extremely competitive’ on sim

Daniel Ricciardo has impressed the hierarchy at Red Bull since re-joining the team.

Christian Horner eagerly looking forward to Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull test, deems him ‘extremely competitive’ on sim

Christian Horner and Daniel Ricciardo (Credits: The Sun)

Daniel Ricciardo, the former eight-time Grand Prix winner, has looked all smiles in the F1 paddock in 2023, and ahead of his upcoming test with Red Bull, Christian Horner has indicated that Riccardo has looked very impressive on the simulator. He is really looking forward to seeing the Australian behind the wheel of a Red Bull beast once again.

Daniel Ricciardo since joining McLaren, spent two torrid years with the team where he was easily outclassed by Lando Norris. His stint was so terrible that the papaya-colored team had to cut short his contract by one year. However, since joining Red Bull as a reserve driver this year, he has looked in high spirits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_CTa4Ega2U

Horner is very pleased with how the 34-year-old has looked since returning to the Milton-Keynes-based.” team and while talking about the same, he told The Race, “When he first arrived after Abu Dhabi last year, it was a little bit of a shock because we didn’t really recognize him from the driver that had left us a few years earlier.”

“But he seems to have re-found his mojo, he’s been working hard on the simulator, and he’s now extremely competitive in what he’s doing in the virtual world. So whether that crosses over into the real world, we’ll see, albeit at a tyre test, we’ll get the impression as to the level that he’s performing at.”

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Daniel Ricciardo has done an ample amount of important work in 2023

Daniel Ricciardo (Credits: Motorsport)
Daniel Ricciardo (Credits: Motorsport)

While Christian Horner has admitted Daniel Ricciardo has looked very competitive in the virtual world, he has also, on the other hand, shed light on the amount of work he has done in 2023. While talking about the same, he added, “He’s done a pretty decent amount of mileage. I mean, he’s done- pretty much most of the races that he’s not been attending, he’s been back in the factory supporting on the sim.”

Horner during his recent interview was also asked whether Ricciardo is a candidate for AlphaTauri in case Red Bull decides to part ways with Nyck De Vries and while replying, he said, “It’s still very early days for next year, and Daniel is under contract for the year, he’s going to be driving our car for the first time after the British Grand Prix. I think the first thing will be to see how he performs and where his motivation is.”

“And then from there it’s a question for AlphaTauri as to their choices for the following season.” Looking at the comments of Horner, it is quite clear that Daniel Ricciardo’s upcoming test with the Red Bull F1 team is going to hold a lot of significance. The team still considers him a valuable asset and his future at the pinnacle of motor racing could get decided after his upcoming test.

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