How the Christian Horner and Geri Halliwell dramas engulfing Red Bull could dictate Daniel Ricciardo’s future

Daniel Ricciardo’s hopes of a fairytale ending to his Formula 1 career with Red Bull could depend on the ongoing drama engulfing the team – and how many allies he has left.

The Western Australian driver returns to Melbourne for the Australian F1 Grand Prix with Red Bull-owned RB, hoping the chess pieces turn in his favor for a return to the main Red Bull team.

A good result in Melbourne and future races will certainly help, but the ongoing drama at Red Bull could work against the 34-year-old.

Ricciardo left Red Bull in 2018 when the team was regularly lagging behind Mercedes, a decision he has since admitted to regretting.

Since then, the Australian has endured difficult spells at Renault and McLaren before Red Bull boss Christian Horner threw him a lifeline, first as a reserve driver at AlphaTauri (now RB), then as a regular seat in the cockpit.

Horner and Ricciardo clashed upon his departure in 2018, but remain good friends to this day

Horner’s future could play a role in Ricciardo’s success in Formula 1 in the years to come.

Even though they had their clashes in 2018, they still remain strong friends and allies today.

However, Horner’s future remains shrouded in doubt due to sexting allegations that won’t go away and reports of an increasingly fractured relationship with superstar driver Max Verstappen.

On the one hand, if Verstappen walks, Ricciardo could be in the driver’s seat to return to Red Bull to finish his career.

However, if Horner goes out, the Australian could lose his biggest ally in the room and face a very uncertain future.

Horner was accused of inappropriate conduct with a member of Red Bull staff, before an independent investigation cleared him.

Then, a day later, texts allegedly sent between Horner and staff were released on WhatsApp to media and F1 stakeholders.

The employee is currently terminated and receiving full pay and is appealing the decision.

Publicly, Horner’s wife Geri Halliwell supported her man, but she also reportedly gave him a list of rules to follow in Australia and she would not attend the Melbourne Grand Prix.

And Verstappen is reportedly unhappy with the situation and considering leaving Red Bull before his contract expires in 2028.

Max Verstappen has won three championships with Red Bull but is reportedly considering an early exit

Horner’s wife Halliwell supported her husband in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, but did not travel to Australia for the Melbourne Grand Prix.

Ricciardo is grateful for all the help he received from Horner, but knows he can’t control what happens next – except to perform on the track.

“I think when the sport almost passed away from me… a year ago, there was no guarantee I would be back here,” he said.

“That kind of long-term view or long-term way of thinking just doesn’t fit where I’m at.

“So right now I’m really focusing on where I am. We have a great task to accomplish. Try to do what I can there.

“Try to kick some butt and then see where the wind takes me.”

One thing is certain, the constant attention paid to the Red Bull off-track soap opera is starting to irritate Verstappen who faced around 10 minutes of grilling by the media on Friday.

“Would we like to talk more about our car? Probably, yes,” Verstappen said of the negative attention paid to Red Bull.

“But we just try to keep working on performance and keep winning.”

And he would not be drawn on his future, wanting to remain focused on first place at Albert Park.

“From what I know, everything is handled the right way,” he said.

“I won’t go into details about that because I don’t know any more.

“And I don’t want to know either because it’s not my job or my task on the team.”

Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas will include a hilarious tribute to Australian culture on his helmet for the Australian F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne

Bottas greets fans at Albert Park circuit ahead of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne