Christian Horner explains why was it 'a little bit of a shock' for Red Bull when Daniel Ricciardo first returned to the team last season

Christian Horner mentioned that it was 'a little bit of a shock' to see Daniel Ricciardo's loss in form when he returned to Red Bull at the start of the year. The team boss claims Ricciardo had lost a bit of his 'mojo' but is now building it back up with extensive simulator work.

Ricciardo returned to Milton Keynes after an unsuccessful two-year stint with McLaren, where he was routinely outperformed by Lando Norris. Despite winning the 2021 Italian GP, the driver failed to impress with the Woking-based team and was forced to leave at the end of last year.

Horner claims the Honey Badger lost a bit of his mojo over at McLaren, leading to Red Bull being shocked over his form. However, the Briton claims Ricciardo is showing signs of improvement.

Speaking to the press in Austria, the Red Bull boss said:

"Well, when he first arrived after Abu Dhabi last year, it was a little bit of a shock because we, we didn't really recognize him from the driver that had left us a few years earlier."

Horner continued about the now Red Bull reserve:

"But he seems to have rediscovered his mojo, he's been working hard on the simulator, he's now extremely competitive in what he's doing in the virtual world. So, whether that crosses over into the real world, you know, we'll see, albeit at a tyre test."

Red Bull team boss analyzes yet another dominant win by Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen charged his way to victory in the 2023 F1 Austrian GP. The Dutchman started the race in pole position, taking his fifth ring at the Red Bull Ring.

Horner and Co. were seriously impressed by Verstappen's dominant run in Austria, a race in which he momentarily lost the lead due to not having pit under the initial virtual safety car.

The team boss said, as per F1.com:

"It has been an incredible day for the team today and a fantastic weekend. Max is obviously in exceptional form, taking qualifying, the Sprint race, and now the Grand Prix is just sensational."

"Obviously, we took a different strategy from that of our competitors, meaning he had to make the overtakes on track which led to some fantastic watching and a stunning weekend for him."

It will be interesting to see if any team gets closer to the Austrian team in Silverstone this weekend.