"Daniel Ricciardo needs to show head-turning form": Red Bull team principal Christian Horner

Midway through the 2023 season, Ricciardo returned to the Formula One grid with Red Bull's sister team, Alpha Tauri (now RB). He kept his position beside Yuki Tsunoda for 2024 after his comeback was cut short by a hand-breaking accident.

Though there were early signs of promise upon his return, such as finishing seventh and qualifying fourth in Mexico, Ricciardo found it difficult to establish himself during the first four rounds of the new campaign.

Tsunoda indeed out-qualified him in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Japan and failed to score a point at any of those events, prompting chatter in the paddock about his future.

Red Bull team boss Horner initially moved to play down the situation regarding Ricciardo's form ahead of the recent Chinese Grand Prix and said as quoted by Formula 1, "It's still early days, isn't it?"

"I mean, his season hasn't really got going yet, he's had some difficulties. I think by his own admittance he would feel that he's underperformed so far this year, but we're only at race five," he added as quoted by Formula 1.

The question of whether Ricciardo is out of the running to rejoin Red Bull, the team he raced for five seasons from 2014 to 2018, where he has won seven of his eight Grand Prix triumphs to date, was posed to Horner.

In addition, he had to consider the possibility that reserve driver Liam Lawson, who dazzled when he took over for the injured Australian at multiple races the previous season, would replace Ricciardo at RB.

"I think that it's pretty much in Daniel's hands. He needs to show the kind of head-turning form to make not only ourselves, but potentially to make others, take notice," Horner added.

"Obviously, waiting in the wings is a driver with the talent of Liam Lawson, who naturally is champing at the bit to get an opportunity, but there's nothing pre-set or preordained as to when or even if that would take place. The priority is for sure for the drivers that are in the race seats at the moment and we'll see how that pans out," Red Bull team principal said.

As it turned out, Ricciardo put on a better performance at the Shanghai International Circuit, defeating Tsunoda in Sprint Qualifying and earning a Grand Prix qualifying slot with a new chassis.

However, Aston Martin's Lance Stroll rear-ended Ricciardo's RB under the Safety Car on race day, destroying his chances of a first-place finish this season and forcing him into retirement.

A three-place grid penalty for Ricciardo will also be applied over the Miami Grand Prix weekend after the stewards found that he violated Safety Car rules during an earlier incident involving Haas competitor Nico Hulkenberg. (ANI)