Purple Bull Workforce Principal Christian Horner hopes that Daniel Ricciardo’s time with the group in 2023 will assist him rediscover his “ardour” for the game, however says his group presently don’t have any plans to supply the Australian racer a full-time race seat.
Ricciardo – a former Purple Bull Junior Workforce member – left Purple Bull for Renault (now Alpine) on the finish of the 2018 marketing campaign, after 5 seasons with the squad that noticed him win seven races. After two years with the French group, he then made the change to McLaren in 2021.
Nevertheless, after two seasons of struggling to match the tempo of group mate Lando Norris, McLaren opted to interchange Ricciardo with compatriot Oscar Piastri for 2023, leaving him with the chance to return to Purple Bull, the place he’ll function a 3rd driver for the group.
Talking not too long ago on the KTM Summer time Grill podcast, Horner was requested whether or not Purple Bull would think about providing Ricciardo a full-time race seat sooner or later, to which he replied: “Effectively, we had been shocked to see Daniel be out on the open market. So, for us having grown up with Purple Bull, having nurtured him since being a junior, it made sense for us to carry him again into the fold. A driver with a lot expertise and such a excessive profile.
“I believe that Daniel had fallen out of affection a bit bit with System 1. He’s had a few actually powerful seasons, significantly [in 2022]. For him to play a supporting function to the race drivers, as our third driver, each again right here within the manufacturing facility and at occasions with all of the industrial companions now we have – as one of the recognisable faces presently in and round System 1, for us it made plenty of sense.”
He continued: “And I hope within the course of, Daniel will rediscover his ardour for System 1, however we actually don’t have any plans to utilise him apart from in that third driver function, to mix with the industrial actions that he shall be performing.”
Horner additionally offered perception into what Ricciardo shall be doing for the reigning constructors’ champions this yr, revealing that whereas his obligations will embrace plenty of work on the manufacturing facility, followers might count on to see him across the paddock in 2023.
“Daniel shall be attending some races,” stated Horner. “Clearly, he shall be our reserve driver for these occasions. He’ll in all probability do some tyre testing for us to assist out with the Pirelli programme that will get distributed across the groups. He shall be doing a little work within the simulator. So he shall be doing extra of these actions.
“After which in fact with the industrial calls for that now we have from the myriad of sponsors and companions that now we have, significantly with a a lot greater presence within the US, the place Daniel is now predominantly based mostly, with three Grands Prix there subsequent yr, he’s going to have a busy agenda for the season forward.”
LAUNCHES: When will the teams be showing off their new machines for 2023?
Purple Bull will unveil their 2023 challenger, set to be pushed full-time by their pairing of Sergio Perez and now-double world champion Max Verstappen, on February 3 in New York.
