Daniel Ricciardo will make a sensational return to the Formula 1 grid, replacing Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri for the rest of the season.
The Italian-based outfit confirmed that the Australian will replace rookies de Vries with immediate effect, beginning with next week’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Return for Ricciardo
Ricciardo has been working as Red Bull’s third driver, returning to the team he won seven races with between 2014-2017, following his departure from Mclaren at the end of the 2022 season.
The 34-year-old has now been loaned to AlphaTauri for the remainder of this season, following a strong performance in the tyre test at Silverstone on Tuesday.
Red Bull Racing team principal, Christian Horner, was full of praise for his recent performance:
“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 a very impressive drive and we are excited to see what the rest of the season brings for Daniel on loan at Scuderia AlphaTauri.”
Franz Tost, AlphaTauri’s team principal, added:
“I’m very pleased to welcome Daniel back into the team.
“There’s no doubt about his driving skills, and he already knows many of us, so his integration will be easy and straightforward. The team will also profit a lot from his experience, as he is an eight-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner.”
Disaster for de Vries
Dutch driver de Vries made his maiden appearance in F1 last season for Williams, where he starred with a ninth place finish at Monza.
A promising performance prompted AlphaTauri to waste little time in replacing outgoing Pierre Gasly.
He has since endured a difficult start in his first full season in the sport, sitting bottom of the standings having scored no points, leading to his replacement after just ten races.
The rookie was largely being outperformed by his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, trailing the Japanese driver 8-2 in head-to-head qualifying.
On the 28-year-old’s departure, Franz Tost said:
“I would like to thank Nyck for his valuable contribution during his time with Scuderia AlphaTauri and I wish him all the best for the future.”
Red Bull and Ricciardo initially parted ways in 2018, with the Australian opting to join Renault, in a move with shocked Horner and the team at the time.
Two years at the Enstone team were followed with two years at Mclaren, where the eight-time race winner won his only race outside the Red Bull family at Monza in 2021.
However, he largely endured a difficult time in papaya colours, with both parties agreeing to a “mutual termination” of his contract at the end of the 2022 season.
Guenther Steiner reportedly called Ricciardo about a potential race seat for Haas this season.
The Perth-born man was reluctant to join, and instead had his sights set on returning to the grid in 2024.
Poor form from de Vries, and the typical ruthless nature shown by Dr Helmut Marko, will allow the former Mclaren and Renault driver the opportunity to showcase his pace in the remaining 12 races.
