Daniel Ricciardo: Christian Horner and Williams’ James Vowles in motorhome meeting about Red Bull future
A secretive meeting between two of Formula One’s biggest hitters has shed some light on the impending movements within the Red Bull Racing Team and ultimately Daniel Ricciardo’s future.
With speculation rife in the enclosure during the recent Brazilian Grand Prix, the Team Principal Of Red Bull, Christian Horner, was spotted entering the paddock motorhome of Williams boss James Vowles for a meeting and potential discussions about driver movements.
Horner is no doubt weighing up his options with regard to a new driver to replace the under-siege Mexican Sergio Perez who has failed to fire in season 2024 and appears on the outer at Red Bull.
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The last two rounds in Mexico and Brazil have been a disaster for Perez and it seems only a matter of time until the Red Bull hierarchy lose patience and cut him adrift.
After Mexico, Horner said that Red Bull will ‘have to make hard decisions for its future’, but after Brazil, his tone had changed to one of ‘life is subjective’ regarding world champion Max Verstappen’s teammate.
“I think everything in life is subjective and you’ve got to look at the facts,” he told the gathered media.
“We’re working hard with Checo, he had a chassis change in Brazil. I thought he drove a good sprint, but the main race wasn’t his day.
“There was nothing evident to me in the race [to show Perez had a problem when Verstappen could push through to win]. Anyhow, Sergio Perez is our current driver.
“Liam Lawson did a super job in Brazil and Yuki. Liam, particularly, considering his experience. Franco is another talent. So, of course, you’re always keeping an eye on the market of how things are developing,” Horner said.
Casually introducing Colapinto’s name into the mix of consideration has thrown F1 fans into a spin as a nod for Colapinto would leave RBR with a decided lack of experience.
When asked about the motorhome rendezvous Vowles laughed it off and pointed to him only asking Horner to try a new brand of coffee.
“We’ve recently signed a new coffee sponsor, which is Reviver from Gulf, and he wanted to try it,” Vowles said.
“That was a good part of the conversation. He enjoyed it.”
When asked about the young Argentinian’s flyer’s future at Williams Vowles was candid about negotiations.
“The best I can say is this: we are exploring possibilities with several teams that are interested at the moment,” Vowles said.
“Beyond there, it would be wrong to do anything more than speculate here.
“When there is, I’ll happily talk about it because he’s an exceptional driver. And I mean that. Go look outside. There were tens of thousands of individuals here to support a driver who’s been in our championship for five races.
“He’s doing an outstanding job on track. And as I’ve said from the very beginning, earn your position and elements will come your way.
Daniel Ricciardo has been touring the US in recent weeks enjoying his downtime, spending time with friends and visiting some of the major sporting franchises.
The young age of the current crop of F1 drivers in demand is not lost on team bosses and although Ricciardo was axed from RBR this year, experience levels may be playing on Horner’s mind, knowing the Aussie is only a phone call away.
Red Bull is struggling in the constructor’s championship race due to Perez’s flailing performances and having the young rivers to back up Verstappen’s assault on the 2025 title may be a a bridge too far.
Vowles spoke of the age of Colapinto and his duty of care to ensure the youngster lands in the right position that reflects his experience.
“I think especially when we look at the fact he’s a 21-year-old and my responsibility is also towards him and making sure we do the right thing, I want to make sure that when we have news, come to the world, but there isn’t much to talk about right now.
“The best I can tell you is we’re actively working with teams that are interested to try and find the right arrangement that helps Franco, that protects Franco as well and protects all parties.
“So it’s very much in those lines. It’s the same concept behind it.
“It’s never straightforward between Formula 1 teams because you’re fighting on track and you’re trying to find a solution for a career of a young man.
“But answering the question, he is earning his place. He needs to do more on track to keep earning his place as a result of things, but he’s shining, and that’s why there’s interest from teams.
“And our responsibility in that is I have a responsibility both towards him and Williams. Hopefully, we’ll have some great news to be able to talk to everyone about, but today that isn’t available.
“When will it be decided? Yes. I mean, these sorts of things are always hard to do because you’re talking about multiple teams talking together.
“But it’ll be something that I’m confident before the last race of the season we’ll have nailed. But it’s really hard for me to pinpoint where in between those two timelines,” Vowles concluded.
