Red Bull boss opens up on his proudest moment of the 2023 F1 season

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is proud of his team's 1-2 finish in the first race of the 2023 F1 season. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez dominated the field in Bahrain at the start of the year, bringing home the team's first 1-2 finish of 2023.

And the two drivers didn't stop there. The drivers took another 1-2 finish at the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP, with Sergio Perez finishing ahead of his teammate Max Verstappen. The Anglo-Austrian team has been the dominant force in the sport since the aerodynamic regulation changes of 2022.

Despite this, it is always tricky to approach the first race of the season, especially since teams have no real idea how well their car will perform at the very start.

Speaking on the newly launched Talking Bull podcast, the Red Bull boss said:

"I think going out and getting a 1-2 finish in the first race is always mightily difficult, particularly in the first Grand Prix of the year. And I think it's been an incredible winter for the whole team, they've all worked incredibly hard - off the back of last year's championship. With the handicap of the less aero time that we have. It's been a massive effort."

Red Bull reserve Daniel Ricciardo to return in an F1 car this year

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has, meanwhile, claimed Daniel Ricciardo will make a comeback to the F1 grid later this year. Ricciardo, who was once considered to be Red Bull's top driver before Max Verstappen took the mantle, will participate in at least one testing session later this year.

Despite winning seven races with Red Bull, Daniel Ricciardo left the team to join Renault and then McLaren, where he struggled to achieve his desired results. He has now returned to Red Bull as a third driver, providing extensive support to Verstappen and Sergio Perez by testing on simulators. However, Horner has stated that Ricciardo will be back in an F1 car later this year.

Horner said before the 2023 Australian GP:

“His popularity in Formula 1… even though he’s not driving, he’s still probably the most popular driver here, and for us, it’s just positive to have him in the team, contributing to the team, to the drivers, to the engineering team.

"Hopefully he’ll rediscover his love for the sport. He’ll do a bit of testing for us later in the year and we’ll see how that goes for him. But I think it’s a different experience. He’s thrown himself [in] and [is] embracing this new role.”

With Sergio Perez's contract expiring at the end of the year, it will be interesting to see if the 'Honey Badger' can return to the team as a full-time driver.