Christian Horner has revealed that Daniel Ricciardo could end up at AlphaTauri next season, after the Red Bull team principal admitted that their sister team has a decision to make over the Australian's future.
F1 fans across the world let out a collective groan when the news filtered through that Ricciardo would not have a seat with a team for the 2023 championship.
A favourite both on and off-track, the 33-year-old is currently a test and reserve driver for Red Bull following the early end to his McLaren contract last year.
However, fans might not need to wait too much longer before they see the Honey Badger back behind the wheel after Horner admitted that Alpha Tauri could be a potential destination for Ricciardo.
Horner: AlphaTauri have decision to make
“Well, it’s still very early days, you know, for next year, and I think that Daniel is under contract for the year,” Horner told reporters in Austria when asked if Ricciardo could find himself at AlphaTauri next season.
“He’s going to be driving our car for the first time after the British Grand Prix [as part of a three-day test] and he’s obviously a world-class driver. He’s won what, seven [eight, sic] grands prix in his career to date?
“So I think the first thing will be to see how he performs and where his motivation is, and then from there, it’s a question for AlphaTauri as to, you know, their choices for the following season.”