Christian Horner addresses rumors of Daniel Ricciardo driving for AlphaTauri next season

Christian Horner has addressed rumors of former McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo potentially driving for AlphaTauri in 2024. The Briton claims the decision lies with AlphaTauri, stating the team will evaluate the Australian's progress and make the call accordingly.

AlphaTauri's current lineup consists of Nyck de Vries and Yuki Tsunoda, with the former failing to turn heads so far in 2023. The Dutchman is prone to rookie mistakes and is not performing as per the Scuderia team's aspirations.

As a result, there have been rumors that Ricciardo would join Tsunoda next year, giving him a full-time seat in the sport once again.

However, Horner claims that the decision lies fully with AlphaTauri. Speaking at a press conference during the 2023 F1 Austrian GP, the Red Bull boss said about Daniel Ricciardo:

"Well, it's still very early days, you know, for next year. And I think that Daniel is under contract for the year. He's going to be driving our car for the first time after the British Grand Prix. And he's obviously a world-class driver. He's won what, seven Grands Prix in his career to date (sic, 8)."

He continued:

"So I think the first thing will be to see how he performs and where his motivation is, and then from there, it's a question for AlphaTauri as to, you know, their choices for the following season."

Daniel Ricciardo hoping for a 'fairytale' ending to his F1 career

Daniel Ricciardo hopes that he join Red Bull as a full-time driver once again, ending his career with the team with whom he won seven GPs. However, to make his dream come true, he would have to replace Sergio Perez in the Austrian team, much to the dismay of the Mexican.

After a challenging two-year stint at McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo was left without a spot on the starting grid in 2023. As a result, he returned to Red Bull as a reserve driver. Having joined as a reserve, the Australian helps Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez set up their cars to perfection with extensive simulation testing.

However, Checo is signed with the team until the end of 2024, making it highly improbable that his seat will be snatched away by the Honey Badger. Despite the odds being against him, Ricciardo remains hopeful of a fairytale ending as he told ESPN:

"This for me would be like the fairytale. Honestly, the fairytale ending [would be] to finish my career here if I could have it all my own way,"

As it stands, the Australian's chances of a full-time return to the sport lie with AlphaTauri, who will make their decision by the end of the year.