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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes that Daniel Ricciardo feared slipping into a number two role behind Max Verstappen at the energy drink team. Last week, Ricciardo unexpectedly announced that he would be leaving the Austrian squad after five years.
Ricciardo has partnered Max Verstappen at the team since 2016, involved in a closely fought battle between the pair. But now the 29-year-old is off to join Renault in search of a new challenge. And Horner thinks that the Australian was afraid of falling into a number two driver role.
"I guess in his mind he’s felt that after five years he feels he needs a new challenge, a new prospectus. I think that obviously he’s chosen to join the Renault team, that he feels they’re in the ascendancy. He knows the Renault product very well from all the time that he’s spent with us.
"And I can’t help but feel that he wants to be [in] a leading role perhaps in a smaller environment. The competition between he and Max is intense. Max is growing stronger and stronger. And I think Daniel’s just decided that the timing is right for him to check out and try something else.”
However Horner stated that they would have had equal status at the team: "He sees Max growing and growing in terms of speed and strength and he doesn’t want to play a support role, I guess, for want of better words. Not that they’re in any way treated in any way different.
He continued: "They would have had equal status as they have always had but I can’t but feel that was perhaps a large part of Daniel’s decision-making. I could understand if it was to Ferrari or Mercedes. But it’s an enormous risk at his stage in his career.”
Fergal Walsh
I agree with Christian about moving to Renault being a big risk, however staying at Red Bull with Honda doesn't bring 100% convenience.
Ricciardo always admired Lewis move to Mercedes, so he risked to do the same.
To my mind, making speculative statements like that about a driver which still has half a season's worth of racing to do for you, is poor management.
If he was going to speculate about Daniel's reasons for leaving, that would have been best left until this years championship had concluded.
I would have said something along the lines of
"We are grateful for the long partneship Daniel has had with the RedBull family, we are sad he's leaving but wish him all the best - as to the reasons he has chosen to drive elsewhere, you'll have to ask him - but together we are going to do our best to win at every race for the remainder of the season."
What he should have said was: "we fucked up and lost our best driver"
Better to be equal at Renault than be a paid lackey for Mercedes, Ferrari and RBR. A shame Hamilton, Vettel and Verstappen need to be coddled and protected like big babies.
Classless as usual from RB. Almost as if Ricciardo had already left and didn't have half a season left. Implying that Danny was afraid of competition from Max... Please. Speculating about his own driver. Chris must be so sore about this move.
Horner can get pissy when things don't go his way and it looks like he got blindsided on this Danny Ric deal. Ric appears to have a good relationship with RBR despite his decision to leave but they have plenty of talent in their stables that will come at a cheaper price tag. This is really a holiday break kind of story published because there isn't much else going on. I think it was a good idea for him to get the decision done before the break like he said he would so he could enjoy the summer off. Good on ya mate!
@hombibi what managers usually do is respond with generalities, deflect, send best wishes, express gratitude. But no... Instead Chris went personal attacking Ricciardo's performance. Sure it wasn't a direct attack, but everyone knew what he meant. It was basically saying Ricciardo left because he was afraid of Verstappen.
It is easy to judge on social media, but I think that there is really no need to. It won't make a difference to begin with, and it polarizes the audience. The result is often trench warfare from behind the keyboard, instead of the exchange of ideas and opinions that could make social media so worthwhile.
I listened to the actual interview (podcast from "beyond the grid") where these snippets were taken from. I still think Christian Horner says not much wrong. It's all about context but decide for yourself.
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jimac
Posts: 30
To my mind, making speculative statements like that about a driver which still has half a season's worth of racing to do for you, is poor management.
If he was going to speculate about Daniel's reasons for leaving, that would have been best left until this years championship had concluded.
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