Red Bull promises Daniel Ricciardo an RB-19 test as the Australian’s pursuit to rediscover his mojo continues

Christian Horner revealed that Daniel Ricciardo will do testing for Red Bull this season.

Red Bull promises Daniel Ricciardo an RB-19 test as the Australian’s pursuit to rediscover his mojo continues

Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo was forced out of McLaren at the end of the 2022 F1 season. The Australian driver decided to sit on the sidelines after a few rough years in the sport. Ricciardo is the reserve driver for his former team Red Bull Racing for 2023. Team Principal Christian Horner revealed that the 33-year-old is hungry as ever to be back in the cockpit.

Horner highlighted the impact made by Daniel Ricciardo over at Milton Keynes. As Daniel tries to facilitate the efforts of the Austrian team. He said, “It’s great to have him back in blue and back in the team. He’s really throwing himself into it. [He’s] sitting in all the briefings, he’s been working hard on the simulator as well, doing some race support and some development work on that.”

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The Red Bull team boss admitted the positive energy Daniel Ricciardo brings to the table. As the Honey Badger’s cheerful attitude always lightens the mood. Christian Horner explained, “Daniel’s just a positive energy to have around and it’s great to see him getting his mojo back, to see that big smile on his face – he lights up a room when he walks in.”

Horner hoped that his former driver would fall in love with F1 again. The 49-year-old even shed light on Daniel Ricciardo‘s planned testing outings with the team in 2023. He continued, “Hopefully he’ll rediscover his love for the sport. He’ll do a bit of testing for us later in the year and we’ll see how that how that goes for him. But I think it’s a different experience. He’s thrown himself [in] and [is] embracing this new role.”

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Ricciardo with fans at the Australian GP

Christian focused on Daniel Ricciardo’s massive fan following, especially during the Australian GP weekend. Moreover, Horner mentioned that the entire Red Bull family was happy to reunite with its former driver. He said, “His popularity in Formula 1… even though he’s not driving, he’s still probably the most popular driver here, and for us, it’s just positive to have him in the team, contributing to the team, to the drivers, to the engineering team.”

Lastly, Horner recognized the eagerness in the eyes of Daniel Ricciardo. As the Australian waits for his turn to drive the RB-19. The car that took Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez to 3 race victories so far. Christian believed Daniel would take no time to get up and running when he got the opportunity. Christian concluded, “I’d say he’s about 10 minutes away from being ready! He’s in good shape; he’s kept himself fit and well. I think that he’s training hard and he’s ready to go given the chance.”

Thus, Christian Horner has confirmed Daniel Ricciardo’s testing sessions with Red Bull this season. The Australian driver will get the chance to drive the dominant RB-19. This would certainly be a delight for the 33-year-old who failed to get familiar with McLaren machinery in 2022. Fans would be waiting keenly to watch Danny Ric drive the 2023 Red Bull challenger.

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