Daniel Ricciardo faces fan backlash for his comments on the ongoing situation at Red Bull

F1 fans were left frustrated after VCARB driver Daniel Ricciardo's latest comments regarding the chaos surrounding the Red Bull team boss Christian Horner since the beginning of the season.

Earlier in February, Horner was investigated internally by the energy drink company after a member of staff accused him of 'inappropriate behavior'. The Brit was subsequently cleared of the charges by the external investigators on the eve of the Bahrain GP.

However, an alleged evidence leak consisting of images and text exchanges has once again put the spotlight on the Red Bull team boss. Speaking with RTBF Sports ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo sympathized with the Austrian team's situation and said:

"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 [Red Bull] performed last week, you'd think [nothing was wrong].

"For them to be able to still focus on business on track, that is also a big strength of theirs so hopefully, these things start to slowly go away and they can just focus on being a race team. For the drivers as well it is not always easy but they did a good job in handling this."

F1 fans took to social media to give their reactions to Daniel Ricciardo's comments on X, with one claiming that the allegations of harassment weren't 'noise and distraction', saying:

"Calling sexual harassment allegations "noise and distractions" is actually insane i hate this balding har har har merchant."

Here are some more reactions:

Some fans even called him a 'PR driver,' pointing to his career trajectory:

Daniel Ricciardo chimes in on the Red Bull team boss' investigation

Daniel Ricciardo stated that coming into pre-season testing he was aware of the situation involving Christian Horner and his investigation.

Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, the Aussie driver said:

“Coming into the test, obviously we were aware of everything going on. But would I say was it an on-track distraction? No, it wasn’t. Knowing we have so little time as well, it was really 'I need to focus on me, my team, my driving' and trying to start this week as strongly as possible.'"

Daniel Ricciardo also added that he 'felt' for his former Red Bull boss in this situation, adding:

“Do I feel for him through all of this? Yes, I've known Christian for a long time. He's always been great with me. So I do hope that there is a fair outcome and resolution soon, hopefully before this weekend, so it's not really a distraction for him or obviously anyone on the team."