Red Bull to offer Ricciardo new deal - Horner

Red Bull boss Christian Horner claims the team are extremely interested in renewing the contract of Daniel Ricciardo, whose current deal ends in 2018.

Max Verstappen, a team-mate of Ricciardo, has already been tied down to a long-term agreement and the team want the Australian to follow suit as they try and mount an assault on Mercedes and Ferrari.

“We were very keen to make sure we had Max committed to the end of 2020 which we have done. We’re very keen to do the same with Daniel,” Horner told Sky Sports F1.

“He’s out of contract at the end of next year but as soon as we get Abu Dhabi out of the way, we’ll reflect on this year, talk about next year and beyond.

With Ricciardo's deal expiring so soon, speculation mounted regarding his future, with Ferrari and Mercedes reportedly circling with interest to recruit the 28-year-old. However, Horner insists that he wants the partnership with Verstappen to flourish.

He added: “My objective is to make sure this pairing, which is such a fantastic pairing, we keep together for the next three years."

Ricciardo battled back from spinning out on the opening lap to finish fifth in Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix, a place behind his team-mate, Verstappen.