Christian Horner says ‘not one conversation’ has been had at Red Bull over hiring 34-year-old driver

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Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has admitted that not a single conversation has taken place regarding Daniel Ricciardo re-joining the team.

There’s plenty of speculation already about whether Sergio Perez will still be with the team in 2025 as his contract runs out in 12 months.

However, speaking to RaceFans.net, Horner suggested that talks aren’t taking place yet over one driver who has been considered as a potential replacement.

The 2024 driver market is going to be one of the most hectic yet and the Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen will arguably be the most coveted spot on the grid.

Sergio Perez is the man currently in possession of the seat and while he finished runner-up in the Drivers’ Championship, he was outclassed by Verstappen for much of last season.

Christian Horner has already told him what he needs to improve heading into next season, but plenty of other drivers will believe they could do a better job in that car.

One driver who certainly believes that is Daniel Ricciardo, but Horner admits there hasn’t been a single conversation about the Australian returning to Red Bull.

After leaving McLaren at the end of 2022, he was brought back as the team’s reserve driver before replacing Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri.

While he did OK in his seven races last season, he will need to show a lot more promise to convince Horner that he’s the man for the job going forward.

Horner admits no conversation has been held over Ricciardo return

Asked about the speculation linking the 34-year-old to the team, Horner said: “Not one conversation internally. It was just your lot that were having some column inches to fill, I think.

“It’s great to have Daniel [Ricciardo] back in the fold and he’s doing a good job at AlphaTauri. And of course, what we’ve really got an eye on is what is our best foot forward for 2025.”

Ricciardo has already admitted that it’s his dream to drive for Red Bull again in Formula 1.

Alan Jones believes he’s left it too late to make the move but does suggest that he would be a popular choice at Ferrari.

Moving into a works team from AlphaTauri has to be his aim and unlike teammate Yuki Tsunoda, he hasn’t got an entire career in Formula 1 ahead of him.

It’s no surprise that Horner hasn’t had a conversation with Red Bull bosses just yet over Ricciardo or any other potential option.

They will want to see how everyone performs at the start of the season, but given how many teams are looking to improve their drive line-up heading into 2025, they might be forced into an early decision.