F1 LIVE | McLaren 'surprised' by Red Bull PU, Horner recalls light-hearted Ricciardo moment

Speaking on The Christian O’Connell Show, the former Red Bull boss shared a light-hearted anecdote about the Australian, revealing that he once made the drive show off his singing voice during a team Christmas party.

Their time together at Milton Keynes spanned from 2014 to 2018, years in which the Australian established himself as a formidable presence on track. He made an immediate impression in his first season alongside four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and later held his own against Max Verstappen, before opting to leave the team at the end of 2018 for a move to Renault.

Horner also reflected more broadly on the Perth native’s career, praising not only his qualities as a person but also his natural speed and racecraft, and suggesting that, given the right car, he had all the attributes needed to become a world champion.

The newly developed power unit, produced by the Austrian team in collaboration with Ford, completed an eye-catching 622 laps over the three days of running across both Red Bull and Racing Bulls, ranking as the third most active engine supplier during the test.

Brown was quick to praise the Red Bull Ford package, labelling the power unit as very strong and admitting its performance had caught many by surprise across the paddock.

When asked to outline an early pecking order, Brown pointed to Mercedes as the benchmark at this stage, while noting that the so-called big four remain unchanged, with the same outfits continuing to set the pace.