F1 News: Horner Open to Working With Ricciardo in Some Capacity

Daniel Ricciardo may be without a team for the remainder of the 2024 Formula One season, but we will likely see him behind the wheel or at a Grand Prix again.

After the recent United States Grand Prix, Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner revealed that he is open to Ricciardo performing ambassadorial duties for Red Bull in the future.

The RB Formula One Team unceremoniously axed Ricciardo following the Singapore Grand Prix, where he finished 18th and last. With no potential suitors stepping in and offering Ricciardo a space on their driver roster, Horner said he is happy to continue working with the Red Bull team in some capacity. Following Horner’s off-the-track controversy and Oracle Red Bull Racing currently ranked third-favorite for the Constructors Championship with those making the best F1 online bets, the team needs some positivity around it.

“He grew up with Red Bull, and he’s taking some time out at the moment,” said Horner. “But he’d be very welcome, any time, to be part of whatever role he elected to want to get involved in. He has a massive profile, and you’re a long-time retired so if he chose to want to get involved in some activities in the US in any way, it’s something we’d be very open to.”

Ricciardo’s Instagram Post Suggests Retirement

The popular Australian frequently posts to his 9.4 million Instagram followers. A post on September 26, four days after he finished last in Singapore, suggests Ricciardo has called time on his Formula 1 career.

The post, which over 3.3 million people have liked, reads, “I’ve loved this sport my whole life. It’s wild and wonderful and has been a journey. To the teams and individuals that have played their part, thank you. To the fans who love the sport sometimes more than me, haha, thank you. It’ll always have its highs and lows, but it’s been fun, and truth be told, I wouldn’t change it. Until the next adventure.”

Now 35, Ricciardo is unlikely to be inundated with offers from Formula One teams. Any team considering handing him a driver’s contract is doubtful, at best, to be competitive. Ricciardo earned an estimated $103 million during his 13-year F1 career, so money is unlikely to factor in any decision he has yet to make.

Ricciardo’s Formula One Career

Having won the Formula Renault 2.0 WEC in 2008 and the British Formula 3 Championship a year later, Ricciardo started in Formula One in 2011 with the HRT Formula 1 Team. He then spent two years with Scuderia Toro Rosso before joining Infiniti Red Bull Racing in 2014.

Ricciardo finished third in the 2014 Formula One Drivers’ Championship with 238 points behind only Nico Rosberg (317) and Lewis Hamilton (384). An eighth-place finish followed in 2015 before Ricciardo again finished third in 2016 behind Lewis Hamilton (380) and Nico Rosberg (385) with a career-best 256 points total.

Between 2017 and 2021, Ricciardo finished between fifth and ninth in the Drivers’ Championship each year but has struggled for form since. After breaking a bone in his hand, he competed in only eight Grand Prix for Scuderia AlphaTauri in 2023 but returned to finish seventh in the Mexican Grand Prix, the team’s best finish of the season.

The current season was one for Ricciardo to forget. He struggled for pace, and teammate Yuki Tsunoda was consistently faster than him in qualifying and during race day. It was apparent Ricciardo’s days were numbered. Indeed, media reports suggest Ricciardo was aware before the Singapore Grand Prix that Liam Lawson would replace him for the remainder of the season.

Should Ricciardo not race in F1 again, his statistics remain impressive. From 257 starts, Ricciardo enjoyed eight wins, 32 podiums, three pole positions, and 17 fastest laps while amassing 1,329 championship points.

Who Is Liam Lawson?

Liam Lawson is a 22-year-old New Zealander and the latest young talent from the Red Bull production line. After a glistening karting career, Lawson has excelled in Australian F4, the Eurofomula Open, and the Toyota Racing Series. He stepped up to FIA Formula 3 in 2020 and then Formula 2 in 2021, finishing third in the latter. In 2023, Lawson was the runner-up in the Super Formula Championship.

Lawson got behind the wheel of an F1 car in a competitive setting for the first time in 2023, replacing the injured Ricciardo in the Scuderia AlphaTauri. He finished 13th at the Dutch Grand Prix and 11th at the Italian Grand Prix before earning the first points of his F1 career with a ninth-place finish in Singapore. He raced in Japan (11th) and Qatar (17th) before relinquishing his role to the now-recovered Ricciardo.

Following the Visa Cash App RB F1 Team releasing Ricciardo after the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, Lawson competed at the United States Grand Prix in late October. Lawson started at the back of the grid in Austin after being hit with an engine penalty. Lawson’s team replaced several components he inherited from Ricciardo’s car, which took him over the amount allocated to each vehicle.

Lawson skillfully navigated through the field, overtaking seasoned stars Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martins and Pierre Gasly in the Alpine. He ultimately finished ninth, 51.151 seconds off a podium spot and 70.563 seconds behind winner Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari.

It is early days for Lawson, but picking up points in his first race of the season and doing so from the back of the grid shows why the New Zealander is touted to have a bright future in Formula One and could prove a more than adequate replacement for the outgoing Ricciardo.