Sometime between FP3 and qualifying, things fell apart for the No. 3 VCARB driver of Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian admitted that he was struggling with the soft tires but felt during quali that he wasn’t able to maximize on that promised performance.

After losing his McLaren seat at the end of 2022, eight-time grand prix winner Ricciardo returned to F1 midway through 2023 with Red Bull’s sister team, AlphaTauri, now known as RB. He quickly set his sights on returning to the senior Red Bull team, where he raced between 2014 and 2018.

Horner’s firm stance is likely to silence speculation about any last-minute shake-ups within Red Bull’s line-up, reaffirming the team's commitment to backing Verstappen as he aims to add another world championship to his already illustrious career.