Christian Horner tells Daniel Ricciardo what he needs to do to land Red Bull seat

RB’s Daniel Ricciardo at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.

Christian Horner has urged Daniel Ricciardo to show “head-turning form” if he is to challenge for a Red Bull seat as he intended for 2025.

The Red Bull team principal admitted Ricciardo has “underperformed” so far this season, before being punted out of the Chinese Grand Prix at the Safety Car restart by Lance Stroll in what had been one of his strongest weekends of the year to date.

Christian Horner: Daniel Ricciardo needs ‘head-turning form’ for Red Bull seat

Prior to out-performing team-mate Yuki Tsunoda in Shanghai before his retirement, Ricciardo has largely struggled to match the Japanese driver at RB so far this season.

With both drivers looking to place their bids to be Max Verstappen’s team-mate at the ‘senior’ Red Bull team next season, Horner confirmed both are being assessed for how they perform this year.

But with a highly-rated reserve in Liam Lawson ready for a drive, they also know they cannot rest on their laurels either.

Horner explained there is nothing decided yet for 2025, and there is still a long time yet for Ricciardo to stake a claim for a Red Bull drive – though it will take a solid upturn in performance.

“Well, I think that it’s pretty much in Daniel’s hands,” Horner told media in China when asked if Ricciardo is still in the running to be a Red Bull driver in 2025.

“He needs to show the kind of head-turning form to make not only ourselves but potentially to make others take notice – and we’re only at race five.

“Now, 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.

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“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.

“It’s still early days, isn’t it? I mean, his season hasn’t really got going yet.

“He’s had some difficulties, and I think by his own admittance he would feel that he’s underperformed so far this year, but we’re only at race five.

“Obviously, we keep a close eye on the drivers, we keep a close eye on their development and I have to say, Yuki, conversely, has had a great start to the season and is driving very well.

“So, for us, as a sister team, we take a close interest on those drivers.”