Horner pinpoints Ricciardo's post-Red Bull F1 DOWNFALL

Christian Horner has pointed out where Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 career went wrong following his decision to leave the Red Bull family in 2018.

The talented Australian spent five seasons with the team before opting to join Renault for two years, and then McLaren for two more.

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He took only one victory after his departure and lost all confidence en-route to being dropped in favour of fellow countryman Oscar Piastri at the end of 2022.

Now, he’s rebuilding his confidence with VCARB as he hopes for a Red Bull return in 2025 and beyond alongside former team-mate Max Verstappen.

READ MORE: Brundle reveals Red Bull 'challenges' amid Horner investigation

Horner disappointed with Ricciardo

Speaking in season six of Formula 1’s Drive to Survive series, Horner discussed where he believes Ricciardo’s career went downhill.

“Seven grand prix victories. Over 20 podiums. All achieved in Red Bull Racing cars,” he said. “Then he left. I felt disappointed about him walking away from the team.

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“He went to Renault. That didn’t work at all for him. And then moved to McLaren and that was disastrous. All sport is a confidence business.

“You could just see the confidence sapped out of him. I don’t believe that the Daniel we’ve seen over the last couple of years is the real Daniel. It’s not the Daniel I can recognise from his time at Red Bull. As soon as McLaren let him go, I picked up the phone to him and we just had a chat.”

With Sergio Perez’s Red Bull contract set to expire this year, Ricciardo could be an excellent, experienced option for them to take up if they want to guarantee a driver that will move the team forwards.

He will want to compete for an elusive first world championship, while the world champions want to add more to their dynasty in the future.

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