Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Oracle Red Bull Racing prepares to drive during Formula 1 testing at Silverstone Circuit on July 11, 2023 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Mark Thompson | Getty Images)
SILVERSTONE, United Kingdom – Fan favorite and eight-time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo is returning to a Formula 1 seat in 2023.
After spending the start of his career with Red Bull, Ricciardo moved to Renault and McLaren (winning the 2021 Italian Grand Prix at Monza) before being out of a seat in 2023. However, he was brought back to Red Bull as a third driver for the team looking for a possibility to return to racing in 2024.
Ricciardo is returning to the team he spent two seasons in 2012 and 2013 albeit under a different name, AlphaTauri. The Australian replaces Nyck De Vries who has struggled for points in the opening races of 2023.
De Vries looked like a standout prospect after his impressive debut standing in for an ill Alex Albon at Williams, scoring a ninth place at the Italian Grand Prix. He has not had the rookie season he or his team desired.
AlphaTauri currently sits last in the Constructors Standings 10 races into the 2023 season with only two points to their name. Notably, these points all come from Yuki Tsunoda.
The Italian-based Red Bull sister team has struggled mightily in 2023. Although De Vries has started to run closer to his teammate, the higher-ups at Red Bull sought for a change.
Speaking on Ricciardo returning to AlphaTauri, Team Principal Franz Tost said, “[T]here’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.”
Red Bull Racing was one of the teams that partook in the Pirelli tire test at the Silverstone Circuit following the British Grand Prix last weekend. Ricciardo had the chance to drive the current RB19 for Red Bull in which he was within a second of Max Verstappen’s fastest time (given the conditions and tire he was on during the test).
Although the AlphaTauri has been considered the worst car on the grid, it is possible that Red Bull is checking to see if Ricciardo still has what it takes to return to the second main Red Bull seat in 2024. Mainly, Ricciardo may team up with Max Verstappen again and replace Sergio Perez, who has turned an impressive start to 2023 to an almost free-fall.
Ricciardo will start his first race in the AlphaTauri seat starting at the next event, the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring.
