Red Bull 'not short of options' for 2019 - Horner

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has insisted that the team of the energy drink manufacturer is 'not short of options' for picking a driver for the 2019 season, as speculation continues to surround Daniel Ricciardo's contract expiration at the end of the 2018 campaign.

Ricciardo has not yet signed a contract extension and insisted over the festive period that he is in no rush to do so as he waits to see how the new Red Bull engine performs.

Mercedes have expressed an interest in the Australian should Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas leave the Silver Arrows, but even if Ricciardo leaves, Horner believes there are more than enough suitable drivers available to fill the space.

“We’ve just come through a long hard season, so the last thing we’re going to be doing is getting into the depths of contract discussions,” Horner told Sky Sports News.

“But I think early in the new year, once we’ve seen how the car’s performing, how things are panning out, then it’s our priority to make sure that we retain Daniel in the team until at least 2020.”

“It’s always good to have options.

“We’ve invested a lot in the young driver programme over the years and we’ve got some great talent on the programme.

“We’re certainly not short of options.”

Ricciardo's team-mate Max Verstappen recently signed a contract extension through to 2020 after previously speaking of his concern at some engine reliability issues within Red Bull, but it remains to be seen whether Ricciardo will do the same.