F1 Today | Horner says 'Marko would have replaced Ricciardo earlier'
F1 News
According to Christian Horner, external advisor would have replaced Daniel Ricciardo earlier this season, but following the Singapore GP, Red Bull opted to answer different questions by letting the Australian go. Moreover, while Jos Verstappen once again spoke out against Horner's approach to important personnel leaving the Milton Keynes-based team, the Briton also shared information about how many employees they have brought in. GPblog brings you the best news of the day from the world of F1.
Horner says Marko would have replaced Ricciardo earlier
It was announced last Thursday that Ricciardo has been replaced Liam Lawson at Visa Cash App RB. The driver from New Zealand will finish the 2024 season at the Faenza-based team, starting at the Circuit of the Americas later his month. Red Bull's team principal, Christian Horner did try his best to keep the Australian in F1, he said in the F1 Nation podcast, however, external advisor Helmut Marko would have already let Ricciardo go after the Spanish GP.
According to the team principal, Red Bull do have to do what's best for the team in terms of the future. "From a broader perspective, we need answers for the bigger picture in terms of drivers," the Brit said. Would Ricciardo be welcomed in a different series instead? V8 Supercars series boss Shane Howard would welcome the former Red Bull driver with open arms.
Jos Verstappen speaks out against Horner again
According to Max Verstappen's father, Jos Verstappen, the British team principal simply "glosses over" the team's problems, and believes that "it's too many people now [leaving the team]," he told Motorsport.com. Moreover, the former F1 driver also does not like the fact that Max Verstappen is also asked about the departure of important figures from the team.
On the other hand, Horner told Channel 4 that his team are also recruiting employees to join. "We’ve recruited, I think, close to 250 people during the last 12 months, across the project, into powertrains, into the brand new engine shop that we’re building. We don’t talk about the over 200 people we’ve bought from Mercedes," he said.
Alpine employees publish statement
After it was officially confirmed that Alpine will no longer compete with their Renault engines from the 2026 Formula One season onwards, employees of the Viry-Châtillon factory released a statement voicing their problems. Previously, some workers already protested against this decision at this year's Italian Grand Prix. They regret the decision of not continuing with the 'already largely developed' F1 engine project, and are also worried about what's next.
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