The Australian star struggled after returning to Formula 1 midway through the 2023 season, when he replaced an underperforming Nyck de Vries at Alpha Tauri [now RB].
However, following a crash at the 2023 Dutch GP, Ricciardo broke his wrist, forcing him to sit out the subsequent five races, and he was replaced by Liam Lawson.
The Red Bull junior driver impressed while deputising, and has been eagerly awaiting a full-time return to F1 as Ricciardo has underperformed at RB.
A disastrous Singapore GP signalled the end of Ricciardo’s F1 career, and Lawson was promptly announced as his replacement for the rest of the 2024 season.
According to Horner, Red Bull chief Helmut Marko wanted the 35-year-old dropped at the Spanish GP, but the team persisted with Ricciardo, giving him more time to attempt to better his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.
Ricciardo’s next step after F1 remains unknown, however V8 Supercars CEO Shane Howard has extended an informal offer for him to join the championship, revealing it would be ‘massive’ for the series to involve the Aussie.
Outside of motorsport, Ricciardo is also invested in various other projects including the production of upcoming Hulu comedy series Downforce, and his own clothing line Enchante.
Now, Horner has tipped Ricciardo to make a shock career change outside of motorsport, claiming audiences may next see him in front of a camera.
"He’s so good in front of the camera, he’s a natural entertainer and showman," Horner said on the F1 Nation podcast.
"He will be for sure in front of the camera at some point, and I’m sure there’ll be a documentary or something that’ll be fascinating."