Why Christian Horner is refusing to rule out a Formula 1 return for Daniel Ricciardo

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Daniel Ricciardo lost his RB seat to Liam Lawson following the United States Grand Prix. Virtually the entire paddock regards it as the end of his Formula 1 career.

Sky Sports’ Craig Slater reported that there’s no way back for Ricciardo, who’s out of a drive for the second time in less than two years. He didn’t use the word ‘retirement’ on social media, but he heavily implied it.

The Australian spoke about his time in the sport in the past tense and looked ahead to the ‘next adventure’. While he’s previously expressed an interest in NASCAR, Giedo van der Garde has told Ricciardo to go into television.

Many F1 fans were unhappy with Red Bull for the manner in which they handled his exit. There was no official announcement of his impending departure at the Singapore GP.

That made for a rather awkward scenario where both sides ducked questions on what would come next. Ricciardo didn’t receive the official farewell afforded many of his peers.

The 35-year-old passed the 250 Grands Prix landmark earlier in 2024. He’s won eight of those races, scoring three podiums and standing on the podium 32 times.

Christian Horner says you ‘never really know’ about Daniel Ricciardo

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Horner insisted that Red Bull hadn’t entirely closed the door on Ricciardo. They know just how good he can be.

Even this year, where Ricciardo has been inconsistent and underwhelming, he scored a magnificent P4 in the Miami Sprint. He also qualified fifth for the Canadian GP, RB’s best qualifying result of the season.

Horner hinted that a return is possible if neither Lawson nor Perez deliver. That would leave Red Bull short of a proven teammate for Max Verstappen.

Still, Ricciardo knows he’s already had a ‘great career’. As such, there may not be any desperation from his side to get back in the cockpit.

“And of course, one never really knows,” Horner said. “I mean, if Liam doesn’t get the job done, if Checo doesn’t get the job done, we know what Daniel’s capability is. So, yeah. But I think for him, he knows at the age he is that he’s at, he’s had a great career.”

Why Helmut Marko held a grudge against Daniel Ricciardo before Red Bull axe

Before the news was confirmed, David Croft predicted Ricciardo could still be on the grid in 2025. He certainly wouldn’t be the first big name to make a comeback.

For instance, Fernando Alonso ostensibly said goodbye to F1 at the end of the 2018 season before returning with Alpine in 2021. There were suspicions at the time that this would happen.

The difference between Alonso and Ricciardo, however, is that the former went out by choice. And the latter’s stock may have damaged beyond repair by his stints at McLaren and RB.

Besides, Horner isn’t the one who’s been pushing for a change. Helmut Marko has a ‘grudge’ against Ricciardo over his move from Red Bull to Renault five years ago, and he’d likely stand in the way of any romantic story.