Daniel Ricciardo had it all at Red Bull. Well, seemingly at least. That’s exactly why when he announced that he’d decided to toil in Formula 1’s midfield, everyone was taken aback. But for Red Bull Christian Horner, Ricciardo’s fate was as clear as glass the second he announced he’d be ditching the Bulls.

Ricciardo was tired of being treated as a second driver on the team, and it’s no secret. That being said, the Honey Badger returned home. He was welcomed back with open arms by the Milton-Keynes-based outfit. That being said, his boss, Christian Horner, didn’t mince his words while reminding Ricciardo just how lucky he was to be back at Red Bull.

The Mirror quoted the Brit saying, “He had some great success here with us, and then he went and did something stupid and went to drive for a couple of other teams and it never quite worked out. We felt it was right to bring him back into the team – and of course, promotionally, he’s got the biggest smile in Formula 1.”

“For him, he will be able to get back to having fun and rediscover his enjoyment of being a Formula 1 driver, rather than the stress he has had over the last couple of years.”

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We all know Ricciardo wanted to be the number one priority for the team. And that’s what he felt Red Bull were unable to offer. But was Max Verstappen being the favorite Red Bull driver, the only reason that pushed the Honey Badger away?

The real reason why Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo had had enough. He was already peaking at Red Bull, and given how short a Formula 1 driver’s shelf-life is, he needed to do something about it, if he ever wanted to get his hands on the ultimate prize. Back when he quit Red Bull at the end of 2018, the Australian explained exactly what changed his mind.

Sky Sports quoted Ricciardo saying, “I felt it was a time now where it was good for me to move on and have a fresh start somewhere else. I think it will be healthy for me – so excited for what lies ahead with Renault.”

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In hindsight, did Daniel Ricciardo really make a stupid decision to leave Red Bull? If he had stuck on, could he have beaten Max Verstappen to the 2021 and 2022 F1 world titles?