McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo showcased 'spectacularly bad timing' when he declined a 'stratospheric offer' to remain with Red Bull back in 2018 - that's the opinion of team principal Christian Horner.
Ricciardo stunned the Formula 1 world when he opted to leave Red Bull after five seasons and seven Grand Prix wins. The Australian signed with Renault ahead of the 2019 season before joining McLaren for 2021 - and he has since struggled badly for form.
Despite securing McLaren’s first since 2012 last season, Ricciardo has failed to shine since joining the iconic racing team and has been largely overshadowed by teammate Lando Norris. The 22-year-old - who was expected to be the number two driver within the team - is believed to earn more than Ricciardo’s reported salary of approximately £13 million after signing his new deal.
Horner has been a fan of Ricciardo for some time, overseeing the Perth-born star's time with Red Bull’s second team, Toro Rosso. After two seasons, he was promoted to the senior team to replace compatriot Mark Webber alongside four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel in 2014.
Ricciardo’s decision to leave for Renault four years later sparked confusion within Horner, considering the money and opportunity before him. The 48-year-old believes the Australian was concerned about the rise of 2021 world champion Max Verstappen.
"We put offers in front of him that were stratospheric," Horner told News Corp . "But Daniel could see Max (Verstappen) in the ascendancy and he didn't want to become the second driver."
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Horner added that the timing potentially could not have been worse for Ricciardo, as he cited the new Honda engine and the question marks surrounding it as reasons to jump ship to Renault. However, the Japanese manufacturer overcame a bumpy start to produce an elite power unit that has propelled Red Bull to the top of the grid in the last few years.
"His timing was spectacularly bad because obviously, he had doubts about the Honda engine and then [Honda] went on to prove there it was a competitive power unit and a race-winning package," Horner added.
The Brit did reveal that Red Bull were sad to see Ricciardo leave the team, labelling the 32-year-old a 'great driver with a big personality'. Ricciardo has suffered so far in 2022, with his McLaren machinery failing to live up to expectations as he struggled alongside Norris at the back of the field in Bahrain before he broke down in Saudi Arabia last weekend.
The Australian will be desperate to improve his fortunes and put points on the board ahead of his home race next weekend. The 22-race 2022 campaign - which is expected to return to 23 races in the near future once a Russian Grand Prix replacement is found - continues with the Australian Grand Prix on April 10.
