Horner: Ricciardo ‘endorsed’ in Mexico reason for F1 return

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Christian Horner says Daniel Ricciardo’s outstanding performance in the Mexican Grand Prix was a proper "endorsement" of the reason why Red Bull brought him back into F1 with AlphaTauri.

Ricciardo’s return to the grid last July in Hungary hit a setback when the Aussie crashed in FP2 at Zandvoort and suffered a broken hand that put him out of commission for two months, or six races.

The 34-year-old finally reported for duty in Austin but damage and a poorly timed pitstop conspired to undermine his race at the Circuit of the Americas.

However, Ricciardo hit the ground running at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, clicking in consistently among the top-ten in free practice and then banging in a remarkable fourth fastest lap in qualifying on Saturday, just ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, the man he aims to replace in 2025.

On Sunday, Ricciardo confirmed his solid form, running confidently among the top five in the first part of the red flagged race before he dipped down to P7 in the second half after conceding two positions to McLaren’s Lando Norris and to Mercedes’ George Russell.

Praising Ricciardo’s display, Horner said the AlphaTauri charger looked a lot like “the Daniel of old” in Mexico last weekend.

“It was great to see Daniel performing so well and fully endorse the reason why we brought him back into AlphaTauri just prior to the summer break,” he said.

“I thought he was outstanding this weekend, fighting a Mercedes in a AlphaTauri.

“Had it not been for the red flag, he would have probably finished yet further up. So a great performance from him and he certainly looked like the Daniel of old this weekend.”

Ricciardo was especially impressed with Ricciardo’s speed in qualifying that earned him a spot on the second row of Sunday’s grid alongside three-time world champion Max Verstappen.

“Look at the delta to Max, though,” noted Horner, “it was less than a tenth I think, so a remarkable performance by him.

“You can see he’s relaxed, he’s confident and I thought this weekend he came into the weekend fully motivated after a tricky Austin, coming back from injury, I thought he did a did a great job this weekend.”

Ricciardo’s performance in Mexico delivered to AlphaTauri its best result of the season and came right on the back of Yuki Tsunoda’s eighth-place finish in Austin.

Horner reckons that Ricciardo’s vast experience is an asset for AlphaTauri, a team that up until this season typically relied on Red Bull’s pool of young talent.

“I think he just brings them a bunch of experience,” said Horner.

“They had two inexperienced drivers in the car and I think he’s just put a bit of direction into their engineering and I think they’re benefiting from that.”

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.