Ricciardo Eyes Red Bull Return in 2025: F1 Team Boss Speaks Out
Jul.19 - Daniel Ricciardo is a contender to return to a Red Bull Racing seat in 2025 - but not next season.
That is the claim of team boss Christian Horner, as he denied suggestions Australian Ricciardo, 33, has been loaned to AlphaTauri for longer than just the end of the season.
"There are no other plans," he told the Formula 1 podcast.
"Our two drivers for the next season are Max and Checo (Perez). But it's always good when you still have talent on the bench.
"Obviously Daniel wants to recommend himself for the Red Bull cockpit in 2025. He sees the route via AlphaTauri as the best option," Horner added.
Ricciardo's return to the grid from this weekend in Hungary is at the expense of struggling rookie Nyck de Vries - whose mid-season ousting has been described by former Red Bull champion Sebastian Vettel as "harsh" and "brutal".
"Expectations were high," Horner insisted. "It wouldn't have made sense to wait any longer.
"We wanted to give Daniel the chance to drive these 12 races so that he can show what he's got."
✅ Check out more posts with related topics:
Ofc, Horner said what he said because Checo is under contract until next year's end.
However, contracts are always terminatable, so he can get sacked if he keeps underperforming & DR simultaneously performs well.
Therefore, DR's opportunity could already arise for next season, depending on circumstances over the next twelve rounds.
Here is the pertinent question. Why, Daniel, why? And here is the answer. A chance to drive the fastest car on the grid.