Horner admits Ricciardo under 'pressure'

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has acknowledged the pressure mounting on Daniel Ricciardo in the 2024 season.

The Aussie's return to the Red Bull fold, albeit in a sister team capacity, was meant to be a springboard for a potential future return to the main squad. However, the early races of 2024 have cast a shadow of doubt on that ambition.

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Team-mate Yuki Tsunoda has consistently outperformed the experienced Ricciardo. The gap in the drivers' standings is stark, with Tsunoda currently sitting in 11th with seven points, while Ricciardo languishes in 17th with zero points to his name.

At the Australian Grand Prix, Ricciardo, desperate for a strong showing in front of his home crowd, could only manage a distant 12th-place finish. Meanwhile, Tsunoda defied expectations with a stellar seventh place.

The pattern repeated itself in Japan, where Tsunoda snatched a crucial point for the team with a tenth-place finish, while Ricciardo's race ended prematurely after a first-lap collision with Williams' Alexander Albon.

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Horner supportive of Ricciardo struggles

Despite the pressure on Ricciardo, Red Bull boss Horner remains confident in the driver's ability to recover.

He believes that losing a team-mate battle always creates speculation, with the Australian rumoured up and down the paddock to be out of a seat at the end of his current contract.

"Daniel's a big boy, he's been around the block, he knows how things work," Horner said in quotes reported by Autosport.

"I think that he just needs to get good results in the bag and then that smile will return. His team-mate is delivering and that naturally puts pressure on you.

"But he's been there before. I'm sure he'll bounce back. We are at race four."

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