“He’s Not a Young Driver”: After Hiring 34-Year Old Daniel Ricciardo, Christian Horner Hypocritically Justifies Brutal Nyck De Vries’ Sacking

Drivers like Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton have proved that age is not necessarily a factor when it comes to athletic performance. Now, talking about the polar opposite – Red Bull‘s Junior team, AlphaTauri signs only young rookies. But when they signed Nyck de Vries for 2023, RB Boss Christian Horner wasn’t happy about it. Now, after de Vries’ sacking, Horner has said that the 28-year-old wasn’t a good fit for the junior team. But his reasonings have landed him in hot water because replacing de Vries is 34-year-old Daniel Ricciardo.

AlphaTauri is known to sign emerging rookies from lower categories of the sport. Though Nyck de Vries had a lot of prior experience in F2 and Formula E, he had none in F1. So, technically he was a rookie, but one that was 28 years old. And Horner had voiced his concerns when AlphaTauri was signing him. And now, de Vries’ underperformance has made Horner’s concerns come true. But his stance on replacing a 28-year-old who didn’t fit in the junior program and then replacing him with an 8-time Grand Prix winner comes across as hypocritical.

Horner said, on the F1 nation podcast, “Look, Nyck is a very capable driver and a Formula E champion and Formula 2 champion. He’s obviously got a lot of experience. He’s not a young driver as such, from an age perspective. And I just didn’t see how it fitted within the junior program. It was always a stopgap.”

He elaborated, saying, “It was becoming obviously a difficult situation for Nyck de Vries, but there was a high expectation on him because whilst inexperienced in Formula 1, he’s obviously a very experienced driver.”

Red Bull once again finds itself in an odd position with Horner’s comments which has landed them on a double-edged sword. But, he is making the best use of this driver replacement to increase the performance of both RB teams.

Read More: Tables Turned On Red Bull as Fernando Alonso’s Ex-teammate Produces Hard-Hitting Evidence to Defend Nyck de Vries

Christian Horner Gets Two Birds with One Stone as Pressure on Sergio Perez Increases

There has been a lot of speculation about Daniel Ricciardo joining AlphaTauri. And it was also rumored to be a precursor to him replacing Sergio Perez at Red Bull. As if there wasn’t enough pressure on Perez, another one has been added to the list. After Christian Horner’s latest comments, the rumors might turn true after all.

Horner said, on the F1 Nation podcast, “Obviously our drivers are going to be Max and Checo again next year, but it’s always good to have talent in reserve. I think Daniel is viewing AlphaTauri… He firmly wants to be pitching for that 2025 Red Bull seat – that’s his golden objective. By going to AlphaTauri, I think he sees that as his best route of stating his case for 2025.”

Horner is a shrewd man and knows how to strike when the iron is hot. His comments could come across as hypocritical but his table is where the buck stops. So, however bitter, such decisions have to be taken.

WATCH THIS STORY | 2 Months After Accusing Red Bull of Typical Routine, Former F1 Champ Exposes RB Taskmaster Amid Nyck De Vries-Daniel Ricciardo Drama