Daniel Ricciardo has surprised everyone by returning to Formula One as a replacement for Nyck de Vries at Red Bull’s second team, AlphaTauri, for the remainder of the season.
After taking a break from racing this year as Red Bull’s third driver, Ricciardo will make his comeback to the grid starting from the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 23.
In a recent interview, the eight-time race winner expressed his desire for a “fairytale” end to his F1 career, which would involve a return to the Red Bull team he left in 2018.
Joining the secondary team will allow him to be in the running for that opportunity in the future and will also increase the pressure on struggling Sergio Perez at Red Bull.
Sources close to the situation have revealed that Ricciardo is willing to drive for AlphaTauri for as long as necessary to demonstrate that he has overcome the difficulties he faced during his time at McLaren in 2021 and 2022.
The news was officially announced on Tuesday while Ricciardo participated in a tyre test for Red Bull at Silverstone.
Daniel Ricciardo officially back at F1 racing for Red Bull’s second team
Red Bull stated that Ricciardo’s impressive performance during the test was a critical factor in bringing him on board.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner said: “It is great to see Daniel hasn’t lost any form while away from racing and that the strides he has been making in his sim sessions translate on track. His times during the tyre test were extremely competitive. It was an awe-inspiring drive, and we are excited to see what the rest of the season brings for Daniel on loan at Scuderia AlphaTauri.”
AlphaTauri’s decision to part ways with De Vries had been expected for some time. This was considering his significant struggles and the public criticisms from Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko.
“It is great to see Daniel hasn’t lost any form while away from racing and that the strides he has been making in his sim sessions translate on track.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner
Last month, Marko acknowledged that Horner’s doubts about De Vries’ suitability for Red Bull’s F1 program were justified in hindsight.
De Vries, a former Formula 2 and Formula E champion secured a contract for the season after delivering an impressive F1 debut for Williams at the Italian Grand Prix last year, where he substituted for the unwell Alex Albon and scored points.
However, De Vries has been unable to replicate that level of performance in the 2023 season.
Ricciardo’s return to the team, formerly known as Toro Rosso, brings him back to the same outfit where he raced in 2012 and 2013.
During that time, he delivered outstanding performances that earned him a promotion to Red Bull for the 2014 season, where he enjoyed a breakthrough year with three F1 victories.
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