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Daniel Ricciardo would be a No 2 driver if he joined Mercedes or Ferrari, insist Red Bull

Will Ricciardo listen to Horner and stay with Red Bull post-2018?

Daniel Ricciardo should commit his future to Red Bull as he would only be a 'Number Two' driver at Mercedes or Ferrari, according to Christian Horner.

While Max Verstappen has agreed an extension with Red Bull until at least 2020, his team-mate's future still hangs in the balance with Ricciardo's current contract expiring at the end of next season - and the Australian is unsurprisingly drawing attention from rival teams.

But Horner is adamant Ricciardo should spurn their advances and stick with the team who have funded his whole Formula 1 career post-2018, believing Red Bull can get the very best out of him.

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"It's an absolute priority for us to retain the drivers," the Red Bull boss told Sky Sports F1 at the United States GP. "Here, they have equal chance to go for that championship.

"If he goes to Mercedes or Ferrari he's just going to be a number two driver.

"Daniel knows that we want to retain him in the team, and hopefully it won't take too long to sort that out."

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It remains to be seen whether Horner's tactic of trying to convince Ricciardo that he would be worse off away from Red Bull works, especially as team advisor Helmut Marko admitted the driver was "already putting himself on the market".

But regardless of his future, Horner says Red Bull have the best driver line-up going into 2018 - even claiming the Ricciardo-Verstappen partnership is better than the Vettel-Webber spell that saw them claim four constructors' titles.

"This is the best line-up in Formula 1," the team principal added. "And this is the best line-up we've ever had in Red Bull Racing.

"The way the team works, the way they represent themselves and push themselves.The respect and relationship is there between the two drivers."

Would Ricciardo be a No 2 driver?
With Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel looking likely to occupy their respective Mercedes and Ferrari seats for the next few years at least, it will be interesting to see what the teams' bargaining chip with Ricciardo might be.

Whatever it is, Ricciardo has said he is looking forward to negotiations as a free agent, but has also insisted he would not join a team if it meant playing second fiddle.

"Obviously I'm in a position where I believe I should be fighting for the front," he told Sky Sports News in September. "If a team said 'we'll sign you but you're going to play bridesmaid to this guy,' 100 per cent I'm not signing there."

But Ricciardo, after dominating Vettel in their sole season together at Red Bull in 2014, also wants to compete against and alongside the best.

"Yes, absolutely [I would love to test myself alongside Lewis]," Ricciardo told ESPN. "Forgetting the situation that he's at Mercedes, taking teams out of it... just putting drivers, absolutely.

"I've said for a long time [Fernando] Alonso or Lewis would be the guys I'd love to see myself against. Alonso's getting towards the tail of his career so Lewis at the moment is more desirable for me to go up against. So I would like that.

"Obviously I had the chance with Seb [Vettel], I've had it with Max and I'm going to have it again with Max for at least one more year. But while Lewis is in his prime I would like to challenge [him] and see..."

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