"You want things to be smoother than they are": Daniel Ricciardo comments on the ongoing turmoil at Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo recently gave his views on Red Bull being plagued with controversy after Christian Horner's internal investigation.

Christian Horner was accused of inappropriate behavior by a female employee, after which his team's parent company started an internal investigation against him. Though the allegations made against him were dismissed after the investigation, the situation worsened after an anonymous email leaked alleged conversations between Horner and the female employee.

Speaking to the media, including RTBF Sport, Daniel Ricciardo was asked how a giant like Red Bull could handle the situation. The Australian driver praised the defending world champions for excelling at the 2024 F1 Bahrain GP, despite all the controversies surrounding them. He hoped for the situation to cool down so that the team could focus on racing.

He said:

"Look it's...you want things to be smoother than they are, of course. Right now there is a lot of noise and distraction, no doubt. Look, the way they performed last week...For them to be able to still focus on business on-track, that is also a big strength of theirs. Hopefully, these things start to slowly go away, and they could just focus on being a racing team."

Daniel Ricciardo also praised Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez for handling the situation as Red Bull drivers.

"Of course, for the drivers as well, it's not always easy but I think they did a good job handling this," Ricciardo added.

Though Daniel Ricciardo is not racing for Red Bull, he is very much connected with them since he races for their sister team, Visa CashApp RB.

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Daniel Ricciardo debunks rumors about RB copying Red Bull's RB19 concept in 2024

During the 2024 F1 pre-season testing, Daniel Ricciardo dismissed rumors about Visa CashApp RB using Red Bull's RB19 aerodynamic concept. While speaking to F1.com during a testing session, he said:

"I would say I think people definitely got excited, let’s say from the outside. Let’s just say the fans got excited, I think they thought we were going to be a different version of another car from the past, but it’s not that, it isn’t that.

He added:

“I think there were the rumors and the bit of excitement that it was going to be, but it’s certainly not. But I think we’re trying to make the most of what we’ve got."

Prior to the 2024 F1 season, RB's CEO Peter Bayer revealed that his team would be using the front suspension from Red Bull's RB19 for their new F1 car.