Christian Horner said that Daniel Ricciardo is the driver who has ‘first place in his heart’, not Max Verstappen. During the latest season of Netflix’s Drive to Survive, the Red Bull team principal got into a chat with his children about his favorite driver.
During the second episode of the current series, Horner asked his daughter who her favourite driver on the grid was, and she said she liked them all. When the question was tossed back on him, he simply said, “Daniel Ricciardo.”
The Australian spent two seasons with Toro Rosso in 2012 and 2013, before being selected into the Red Bull squad for the 2014 season to replace his retired compatriot Mark Webber.
Ricciardo rose to prominence during this season, winning three races and finishing fifth, defeating four-time world champion teammate Sebastian Vettel in the process. After four seasons and four Grand Prix triumphs with Red Bull, the Australian decided to join midfield runners Renault.
However, after four years in the midfield with Renault and then McLaren, Ricciardo’s F1 career appeared to be coming to an end, and the 34-year-old’s contract with the latter was terminated a year ahead of schedule to allow Zak Brown to bring in Oscar Piastri for 2023.
Just over a year later, however, Horner and Ricciardo may be prepared for a fairytale reunion. The seasoned Australian will spend the full 2024 season with the newly rebranded VCARB club and is regarded as a clear candidate to succeed Sergio Perez when his contract expires at the end of the season.