Ricciardo knocked back "stratospheric" Red Bull offer - Horner
Ricciardo knocked back "stratospheric" Red Bull offer - Horner
Christian Horner has revealed Daniel Ricciardo refused a "stratospheric" offer to keep him at Red Bull since when he feels the Australian has endured "a hard time" in F1.
After two seasons of learning his trade at Toro Rosso, Ricciardo was promoted to Red Bull in 2014 as the replacement for fellow Australian Mark Webber.
Ricciardo more than held his own against four-time champion Sebastian Vettel in his first year with Red Bull, winning three races that season.
The arrival of Max Verstappen in 2016, however, changed the dynamic within the team, leading to Ricciardo's shock decision to quit and join struggling Renault for 2019, despite Red Bull's best efforts to retain him.
Speaking to The Weekend Australian, Horner has revealed offers were put in front of Ricciardo "that were stratospheric".
Explaining the reasons behind Ricciardo's exit, Horner added: “Daniel could see Max in the ascendancy and he didn’t want to become the second driver.
“His timing was spectacularly bad because obviously, he had doubts about the Honda engine and then [Honda] went on to prove there it was a competitive power unit and a race-winning package.’’
Ricciardo in a "tough" time - Horner
It was not until last season, following a move to McLaren after two years at Renault, that Ricciardo ended a near three-and-a-half-year winless drought.
Horner feels Ricciardo's talents have been wasted, and now he is in the same situation at McLaren as he was at Red Bull in going up against a young, hungry driver in Lando Norris.
"Daniel is a great driver and we were sad when he decided to leave the team here,’’ reflected Horner.
“And, you know it’s unfortunately not worked out for him the way he would have liked.
“He’s great natural abilities, a big personality. Of course, now he’s got a competitive team-mate as well. It’s given him a hard time and you know, that’s tough for him.’’
Daily poll - Mercedes struggle - will it force a three-way F1 title fight with Ferrari and Red Bull this year?
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 News Today: Newey Ferrari links given boost as star DROPPED from team
- 1 hour ago
Hamilton in Ferrari F1 SHOCK as star targeted for stunning Audi move - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
F1 wonderkid in Mercedes TEST amid driver replacement reports
- Yesterday 22:57
Former Perez F1 boss reveals who should replace him
- Yesterday 21:57
Sainz hints at sensational move to rival series
- Yesterday 20:57
McLaren star DROPPED following serious injury
- Yesterday 19:57
Related news
F1 rivals' UPGRADES provide Red Bull title charge doubt
Newey set for CRUCIAL meeting over Red Bull future
Newey tipped to POACH key Red Bull staff if he joins F1 rivals
Ricciardo makes five-race admission in bid to survive F1 axe
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860