Red Bull Shake-Up: Helmut Marko Wanted Daniel Ricciardo Out Since June, Christian Horner Reveals

Christian Horner discloses Helmut Marko's desire to substitute Daniel Ricciardo following the Spanish Grand Prix

Red Bull's leader, Christian Horner, has shared that Helmut Marko was keen on finding a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo post the Spanish GP.

Christian Horner, the team principal for Red Bull F1, disclosed that Helmut Marko was considering removing Daniel Ricciardo from the team following the Spanish Grand Prix in June.

Ricciardo will no longer be racing for Red Bull's affiliate team, RB, following a series of disappointing results this year, as backup driver Liam Lawson takes over for the last six events of the season.

In a conversation on the F1 Nation podcast following the news of the driver changes, Horner revealed that Red Bull motorsport advisor Marko believed Ricciardo's replacement should have occurred significantly sooner in the season.

"Horner attributed the decision to Red Bull's inconsistency," he stated.

He began the season with challenges, but the Miami weekend turned out to be a tale of two different experiences. The initial days, Friday and Saturday morning, were exceptional, showcasing the vintage Daniel who skillfully held off Ferraris and performed beyond the car's capabilities.

"However, the situation took a turn for the worse during the Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Consequently, even in Barcelona, Helmut was pushing for his removal from the vehicle, and he was already under significant stress at that point."

Upon our arrival in Montreal, it was unexpectedly Jacques Villeneuve who really riled him up by challenging him aggressively, which clearly lit a fire under him. This was evident in his driving throughout the weekend – he took control with determination and delivered an impressively solid performance.

"I did mention to Ricciardo that he should reach out to Jacques before each Grand Prix for the remainder of the season, because clearly, his advice was effective."

Horner emphasized that he made every effort to provide Ricciardo, a winner of eight grand prix titles whose Formula 1 career seems to have come to an end, with the opportunity to make a comeback.

"I've really gone out of my way to give him ample opportunity behind the wheel, so he could prove himself. Without this, he would have lost his seat right after the Barcelona race," he further explained.

"Every driver is feeling the strain to perform. However, Daniel's placement in that car was strategic, aimed at positioning him as the backup to take over if Checo failed to meet expectations."

The issue was that both of them encountered challenges with their performance at different times. Checo kicked off the season impressively, showing strong form, while Daniel was having difficulties.

"Clearly, as Checo's performance dwindled, Daniel experienced a slight improvement in his performance. However, it wasn't convincingly strong enough to argue that the two drivers should be swapped."

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