Horner: 'Great shame' if Daniel Ricciardo can no longer find a seat

Alpine, Haas and Williams, which all still have seats available, are looking at other drivers. Ricciardo is open to a role as a reserve driver and has already been linked to Mercedes. After a year on the sidelines, the Australian would then like to return as a full-fledged driver.

Bit out of shape

A permanent departure from the grid would be a shame, according to Christian Horner, Ricciardo's former team boss at Red Bull Racing. According to the Englishman, Ricciardo still has plenty to offer Formula 1, he reveals in the podcast Beyond the Grid. “It’s a great shame because he’s a big personality and a great, great driver. He’s obviously lost his way a bit, but it would be great to see him remain in the sport,” Horner said.

If Horner were at the helm of Alpine, he would bring Ricciardo back to the French team. “He’s the type of guy… you could rebuild him. It’s obviously not been a great experience for him for whatever reason and you’ve just got to think back to some of the drives he did for us, some of the wins he had, the podiums, some of the stunning overtakes that he was capable of. That’s still in there, I’m sure. He just needs a bit of a reset.”