Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner has admitted that the battle for the vacant 2014 seat to replace Mark Webber at the squad is a two horse race.
Webber will retire from Formula 1 at the end of 2013 to pursue a career in sports car racing. That leaves the best seat in the sport open and Horner admits that the candidates have been narrowed down to two.
The Milton Keynes based squad are debating between 2007 world champion and current Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen and junior team driver Daniel Ricciardo.
Asked by Sky Sports News if it was a battle between the two, Horner replied: "Essentially, probably."
However he admitted that Raikkonen is in a different league due to his former success. Eric Boullier admitted that Red Bull are "pushing very hard" to take Raikkonen from the Lotus squad and Horner wants the fastest two drivers possible.
"Kimi's track record speaks for itself and he's a Championship contender as we speak," he added. "We're in a fortunate position in that not only are we attracting fantastic drivers like Kimi but we've also got the opportunity to look at the drivers we have been nurturing in the likes of Daniel."
Horner continued, saying: "We get paid based on where we are in the Constructors Championship so therefore we want the fastest and best drivers we can get in the car. We'll take our time to make sure that whoever fills Mark's shoes - and they are big shoes to fill - is the right choice for the team."
That comes after Helmut Marko said he expects a decision "by the end of the summer," conflicting timescales in the Red Bull team.
Ricciardo will drive for the squad today (Thursday) at the Young Driver Test. He was due to take to the wheel on Wednesday but that plan was postponed and hence he will instead drive for Red Bull rather that Toro Rosso on Thursday, giving the team a good opportunity to evaluate his performance.
"We're very keen to have a look at Daniel as a prospect for next year. Obviously there is a great deal of interest in the seat, but it's an opportunity to have a look at Daniel and for him to do some of our tyre-testing work in our RBR car. It's a great opportunity for him."
The comments all but confirm that Jean-Eric Vergne is out of the race for the best seat in the house.
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The Milton Keynes based squad are debating between 2007 world champion and current Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen and junior team driver Daniel Ricciardo.
Asked by Sky Sports News if it was a battle between the two, Horner replied: "Essentially, probably."
However he admitted that Raikkonen is in a different league due to his former success. Eric Boullier admitted that Red Bull are "pushing very hard" to take Raikkonen from the Lotus squad and Horner wants the fastest two drivers possible.
"Kimi's track record speaks for itself and he's a Championship contender as we speak," he added. "We're in a fortunate position in that not only are we attracting fantastic drivers like Kimi but we've also got the opportunity to look at the drivers we have been nurturing in the likes of Daniel."
Horner continued, saying: "We get paid based on where we are in the Constructors Championship so therefore we want the fastest and best drivers we can get in the car. We'll take our time to make sure that whoever fills Mark's shoes - and they are big shoes to fill - is the right choice for the team."
That comes after Helmut Marko said he expects a decision "by the end of the summer," conflicting timescales in the Red Bull team.
Ricciardo will drive for the squad today (Thursday) at the Young Driver Test. He was due to take to the wheel on Wednesday but that plan was postponed and hence he will instead drive for Red Bull rather that Toro Rosso on Thursday, giving the team a good opportunity to evaluate his performance.
"We're very keen to have a look at Daniel as a prospect for next year. Obviously there is a great deal of interest in the seat, but it's an opportunity to have a look at Daniel and for him to do some of our tyre-testing work in our RBR car. It's a great opportunity for him."
The comments all but confirm that Jean-Eric Vergne is out of the race for the best seat in the house.
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