Since making the bold decision to leave Red Bull for a new challenge, Daniel Ricciardo’s career has not quite panned out how he would have like it to.
Having grown frustrated at the team’s insistence on favouring the up and coming Max Verstappen over him, the Australian made moves to Renault and then McLaren in an attempt to achieve success elsewhere.
With only a shock win in Monza in 2021 to his name since leaving Red Bull, the 33-year-old has now returned to the energy drink giants with his tail tucked between his legs following his release from McLaren.
Ricciardo will serve as the team’s third driver to complete promotional and simulator activities, something which he hopes will help him regain his confidence following some difficult times in recent years.
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Two-time world champion and current Red Bull star Max Verstappen has now fired a warning at his former teammate, telling reporters that he wants to do all of his simulator work himself, rather than handing it over to Ricciardo.
“I think our simulator is one of the best in the industry,” he told Speedweek.
“We feed in data from the vehicle that we collected on the racetrack. Of course, the congruence between simulation and reality is not perfect.
“The days are very long, but I am convinced that this work is worth it.
“I also don’t want a test driver to take care of the simulation as other racing teams do. I want to do it myself because everyone has their own driving style.”
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Ricciardo has suggested that his time in the simulator could be make or break for his Formula 1 career, as it will either prove to him that he still has the pace to be successful in the sport or that he is now unable to match the likes of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
There was initially rumours that should the Australian impress in his off-track work, he could be called up to replace Sergio Perez as Verstappen’s partner midway through the season.
Red Bull have been quick to deny these rumours, with Christian Horner explaining that Ricciardo’s contract is very specific and the plan is to honour their agreement with Perez and keep him with the team until the end of 2024.