Christian Horner gives his verdict on Daniel Ricciardo's McLaren struggles

Christian Horner hopes that Daniel Ricciardo can rediscover his best form and remain in F1 after it was announced he would be leaving McLaren.

The Aussie had been contracted to drive for the Woking-based team until the end of 2023 at least but, after months of speculation, it was confirmed ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix that the final nine races of this season would be his last in papaya, at least for the time being.

He needs to try and find a seat for 2023, then, with it believed that he is eager to remain on the F1 grid and it just remains to be seen where he can land himself a drive for next year.

A return to Red Bull, unfortunately for him, isn’t on the cards with both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez locked in on contracts to at least the end of 2024 but, of course, the relationship between them is still an amicable one, with Christian Horner saying he wants to see the Aussie back to his best.

Speaking at the Belgian GP, Horner said:

“The time he spent with us, he grew up as a junior driver within the junior programme, winning the Formula 3 championship. Then obviously stepping in through Toro Rosso into Red Bull Racing and what he achieved with us was phenomenal. Third in the world championship twice, I think seven victories and many, many podiums.

“It’s a great shame to see that he’s struggling and hopefully he can find a seat in Formula 1. Moving forward, I think Formula 1 would miss him. He’s a big character, he’s a big personality.

“I don’t think we’re seeing the real Daniel Ricciardo, at the moment. So it would be great to see him find his mojo again and find out a reasonable solution for next year.”