Red Bull team principal Christian Horner had to reassure Daniel Ricciardo of equal status within the Milton Keynes outfit, following comments last year that teammate Max Verstappen should “build the team around him”.
The Australian is entering a crucial year in his Formula 1 career with his contract with the Austrian energy drinks giant expiring and has made it clear he will be taking his time to weigh up his options with the next few season’s likely his best chance to become champion.
As well as the competitiveness of Red Bull, Ricciardo is also having to consider his standing in the team as Verstappen continues his own rise as one of the sport’s top drivers, with the 28-year-old admitting his boss’ comments weren’t helpful.
“That is not what you want to hear,” he told Autosport. “I didn’t see it in the press but afterwards I found out about Christian’s comment.”
The five-time Grand Prix winner revealed it was Horner himself that told him about his Verstappen claim and sought to clarify the situation.
“He said ‘look, if you’ve seen the comments, it’s not out of context but I didn’t want it to come across that way’,” Ricciardo claimed.
“He said ‘please I don’t want you to think anything like that. We’re fighting for both of you’.”
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The current uncertainty over his future may not help the ‘Honey Badger’ though, especially with the Dutchman signed on a very lucrative contract until 2020, but he maintains trust in Red Bull to remain impartial.
“If I did, I would have spoken up about it already,” he added. “That’s 100 percent honest.”
