Red Bull are NOT planning to offer Daniel Ricciardo a "fairytale" return to driving full-time for the team.
The Aussie is a reserve driver this season, having had his McLaren contract cut short by a year. He is keen to return to the grid next season and an opportunity at sister team AlphaTauri may present itself.
In the Silverstone paddock this weekend, Ricciardo suggested he would be open to driving for the team. However, he stipulated that he would only consider doing so if he saw it potentially leading to a future drive for Red Bull.
Christian Horner has been full of praise for the work Ricciardo has been doing in his current role. However, speaking to reporters after the British Grand Prix, the team principal poured cold water on the idea of him racing for the team again.
"It's not something that we're planning, that's for certain," he said. "So, it was right to give him the opportunity this year to remain within the team and keep him around the sport.
"I think it would have been a loss to the sport for him just to disappear and, I think, I didn't recognise the Daniel of the last couple of years so I'll be very interested to see what kind of job he does on Tuesday."
Horner was referring to the tyre test in which Ricciardo will be taking part at Silverstone this week. He has put plenty of hours into the simulator this year, but this will be the first time he has driven a real F1 car since the end of last season.
Horner sees this test as an ideal time to assess Ricciardo's potential readiness for a return to driving. He added: "It’s an important test for Pirelli but it's also going to be great to see him back in a Red Bull car and see what he can do.
"Where he's at, both on pace and mentally, physically and to get his feedback on this car as well. So I think it's a good opportunity for him to get back behind the wheel of a car that's just won the British Grand Prix."
Nyck de Vries is under pressure at AlphaTauri and it has been suggested he could even be replaced mid-season unless his performances improve. Rather than Ricciardo, though, Helmut Marko has suggested that either Liam Lawson of Ayumu Iwasa would be called up for an F1 debut.
