Christian Horner has played down rumours of a Daniel Ricciardo comeback with Red Bull in Formula 1 2023.
Ricciardo, who departed McLaren at the end of 2022, is set to undergo a three-day Pirelli tyre test for Red Bull after the 2023 British GP at Silverstone amid reports he could replace the underperforming Sergio Perez.
“It’s not something that we’re planning, that’s for certain,” Horner told selected media outlets, including Total-Motorsport.com.
“So it was right to give him the opportunity this year to remain within the team and keep him around the sport. I think [it] would have been a loss to the sport for him just to disappear.
“I didn’t recognise the Daniel of the last couple of years, so I’ll be very interested to see what kind of job he does on Tuesday.
“It’s an important test for Pirelli, but it’s also going to be great to see him back in a Red Bull car and see where he’s at [both] pace [wise] and to get his feedback on this car as well.”
Perez laughs off rumours of dismissal
Silverstone was another challenging weekend for Perez, who missed out on Q3 for the fifth consecutive weekend after qualifying a lonely 16th.
After a quiet start, Perez worked his way through the order, eventually catching and passing both Ferraris to finish sixth, whilst teammate Max Verstappen extended his championship lead by winning his first British GP.
“I couldn’t care less if I’m honest,” said Perez when asked about rumours surrounding his future. “I’ve been in Formula 1 for 13 years I am not worried.
“I am focused on getting back on track. I have good support from Helmut [Marko] and Christian.
“The whole team is fully backing me they know what I can do, they know my full potential and are fully behind me.”
Where is the next F1 2023 race?
With the F1 circus finished at Silverstone, we move on to the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix which will be held at the Hungaroring, Budapest over the weekend of July 21-23.
