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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes Daniel Ricciardo got the timing of his decision to leave the team all wrong.

Ricciardo, a product of Red Bull’s junior programme, first appeared in Formula 1 with backmarkers HRT, debuting at the 2011 British Grand Prix, before securing a seat with Red Bull’s junior team Toro Rosso for 2012.

His promotion to the main Red Bull team came in 2014, Ricciardo finishing 71 points ahead of four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel that season.

But having spent just over a season with Daniil Kvyat as his team-mate following Vettel’s move to Ferrari, Max Verstappen then arrived – a partnership that produced its fair share of tension before Ricciardo exited the team at the end of 2018.

According to Horner, Ricciardo left not only because he saw signs of becoming the second driver to Verstappen but also because he had doubts over the Honda engine Red Bull were to use from 2019.

That partnership came good though, Verstappen clinching the 2021 Drivers’ Championship, leading Horner to suggest Ricciardo had picked a terrible time to leave Red Bull.

“Daniel could see Max in the ascendancy and he didn’t