Red Bull boss talks about being unable to recognise Daniel Ricciardo since leaving McLaren: “He’d lost that self-confidence”

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has stated that Daniel Ricciardo lost confidence in his racing abilities after his stint with McLaren. This almost made him unrecognizable as a driver.

After four years with the team, Ricciardo left Red Bull in 2018 and moved to Renault. After spending two seasons with the French team, he joined McLaren, with whom he failed to impress before parting ways last year.

With not many teams offering him a chance to remain on the F1 grid, he moved back to Red Bull for 2023, where he currently serves as the team's reserve and simulator driver.

The Milton Keynes-based team's boss Horner, speaking on the Talking Bulls podcast, stated that he did not recognize Ricciardo when he joined the team this year.

“When he first came back, it wasn't the Daniel that we recognized. He was driving differently, he looked different, he lost a huge amount of weight and he'd lost that self-confidence, that self-assurance.”

He added:

“For him, I think it's also to start to try and fall enough with a sport again because I feel that he lost that passion through the experiences that he had. He's a really sensitive guy and under behind that big smile, he's very vulnerable. I think that the experiences he had the last couple of years, you could see it took its toll on him and his enthusiasm for the sport.”

It is not all doom and gloom for Ricciardo however, as Horner stated that the Australian was slowly regaining his confidence and returning to his dominant self.

“Bit by bit that's coming back and we're getting to see the true Daniel again, the true spirit and his performances. He is getting ever more impressive.”

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Christian Horner insists that Daniel Ricciardo would have been out of F1 if Red Bull did not sign him this year

Daniel Ricciardo

Christian Horner has stated that Red Bull Racing did not want to part ways with Daniel Ricciardo in 2018. He then added that he was delighted to have the Australian back in the team this year, albeit in a different role.

Horner also stated that Ricciardo's form dipped quite a bit after leaving Red Bull.

“Well, it's great to have him back. We didn't want him to go in the first place, so anyway, he went off on his life experience, you know, through a couple of different teams.”

The 49-year-old Englishman added that Red Bull provided a lifeline for Ricciardo this year, without which he'd have been out of F1.

“Daniel would have been out of Formula One if we hadn't given him a lifeline, and it just felt that it was too soon for him to be calling a day on the sport. As for such a big personality, I mean, he's the kind of guy that lights up a room when he walks into it. So it was great to get him back in a different role this year.”