19/11/2022
NEWS STORY
Stressing that nothing has been signed, Christian Horner has clarified Daniel Ricciardo's potential role at Red Bull, stressing that a race seat is not on offer.
The Briton was speaking in the wake of Helmut Marko's admission to German media on Friday that the Australian is returnig to the team with which he won seven Grands Prix.
"We haven't signed anything yet but Helmut in his enthusiasm has obviously announced it!" smiled Horner. "So I guess that means that Daniel will be joining us - unless, of course, he chooses not to sign it.
"Daniel is a big character," he continued, "it's been disappointing to see his performance this year. I think he would have wanted a lot more out of the season, but he's still one of the biggest names, one of the biggest characters in Formula 1.
"He obviously has a history as being a Red Bull Junior, and just with the demands that are on the race drivers these days, just from a marketing perspective alone, we're very active as a team, we do many, many show runs and events and to have a driver of Daniel's profile and history with the team, within the group is only an asset for us.
"It means that he keeps in touch with Formula 1," he said of the Australian who is targeting a return to the grid in 2024, "and we'll obviously be using him on the simulator as well.
"He'll be attending, potentially some events, of course, if he does sign a contract, but I'm sure that will all become clear in the event of him signing a contract."
With an eye on last week's events in Brazil and ongoing speculation over the relationship between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, Horner was asked if, looking to the long term, there was the possibility of a race seat for Ricciardo.
"No," replied Horner, somewhat emphatically. "Daniel's contract is very specific for a specific reason.
"We have a contract with Checo for the next two years.," he added. "What the partnership of Max and Checo has produced has been phenomenal for us. And you know, the five 1-2 finishes so far this year, the Constructors' Championship that we hadn't won for eight (sic) years, is a phenomenal achievement and obviously the combination of both drivers, the points contributions of the two drivers, they do have a good relationship.
"They've raced well for the team and we've got no reason to see that being any different tomorrow or for the duration of their contractual commitment to the team thereafter. And for Checo, obviously, we made that commitment for two years earlier in the year. And he made a good step this year. His performances... I think he felt more comfortable in the team at the beginning of the year after that first year, joining during a COVID period.
"Hopefully, he can round off what's been a very strong year for him with that runner-up position in the championship this year, which is something as I said, we've never achieved before. So, you know, between the two of them, I mean, Max's season has been truly, truly outstanding. I mean, 14 Grand Prix victories, plus Checo's too, I mean 16 grand prix victories is more than we've ever achieved in our history and something that we're very proud of."
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