Horner pays tribute to 'special' Ricciardo with incredible Red Bull promise

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has broken his silence on the untimely departure of Daniel Ricciardo from Formula 1.

It was announced on Thursday that the Aussie driver would leave RB with immediate effect in order for 22-year-old Liam Lawson to take over his seat for the remainder of the 2024 season.

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Throughout his 14 seasons on the grid, Ricciardo has raced for five different teams and secured eight grands prix victories, including an iconic win at the Monaco GP in 2018.

Having dipped in and out of the Red Bull family, team boss Horner always made it clear he wanted the Aussie back working within the main team.

Ricciardo's first steps towards F1 were with Horner's outfit after becoming the team's test and reserve driver in 2009 before his debut in the sport with HRT in 2011.

Ricciardo's Red Bull journey

Following an early contract termination from McLaren in 2022, Ricciardo was replaced by fellow countryman Oscar Piastri at the papaya outfit, leaving him without a seat for the 2023 season.

Ricciardo instead was welcomed back into the Red Bull family with open arms, this time watching from within the garage as a reserve driver, awaiting his chance to return to the track.

The opportunity arose in 2023, when the Red Bull junior team, AlphaTauri at the time, dropped Nyck de Vries mid-season.

Ricciardo was set to replace the rookie Dutchman from the Hungarian Grand Prix onwards but after just two races, was replaced by Lawson after breaking his hand during FP2 at Zandvoort.

It is now Lawson who will replace him once again, hoping to prove himself worthy of a full-time seat in 2025.

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What was Horner's parting Ricciardo promise?

Following the confirmation of Ricciardo's F1 exit, Horner took to social media to express his thanks to the 35-year-old.

"From the moment you arrived at Red Bull it was obvious you were so much more than just a driver. Your constant enthusiasm, sense of humour and attitude will leave an indelible legacy on the Team here in Milton Keynes and F1 as a whole."

"Thank you for the wins, smiles, songs (and I wish I could say the shoeys)."

Horner continued his parting message to Ricciardo with a promise over the Aussie's future: "You will always be a special part of the Red Bull Family.

"8 wins, 32 podiums, 1329 points. These statistics and accolades are not the only measure of who you are and what you have achieved. Thank you Daniel."

Despite Horner's promise, it remains unclear whether the honey badger will find himself back at Red Bull from the sidelines or if this truly is the end of his F1 career.

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