Later this year, Red Bull will be hosting a demo run at the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit, and they announced a driver pairing of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo for the same. Despite Max Verstappen‘s interest in driving there, Helmut Marko forbade him, and now Ricciardo admits to feeling ‘scared’ about this upcoming event.
Daniel Ricciardo lost out on his F1 seat at the end of the 2022 season, when McLaren sacked him. He returned to Red Bull as a reserve driver, and his duties have been away from an actual Formula 1 challenger till now. However, he has a few events lined up, starting in Silverstone where he takes part in a Pirelli tire test. Things, however, will take an even more serious turn in September, when he suits up to drive at the Nurburgring Nordschleife track.
It is a track that is notoriously infamous for the number of crashes it has had in the past. Its 12-mile layout, rapid elevation changes, and fast sudden turns made it a nightmare for drivers back in the day, and Ricciardo is about to realize the same fears in a few months.
Daniel Ricciardo won’t take any risks in Nurburgring
In an interview with Sky Sports, Daniel Ricciardo admitted that he is excited, but also very nervous about driving in Nurburgring. He made things clear for the fans in attendance and those who will be watching from home- he won’t be chasing any records at the infamous circuit for his own safety.
“I say I’m kind of scared,” he said. “We’re just going to go at our own pace . We’re not trying to set any records. The Nordschleife. It’s basically the craziest circuit in the world. Is it like 13 or 14 miles long or something? Dangerous and scary.”
Ricciardo went on to say that fans will be in for an exciting outing, when he takes to the track along with Sebastian Vettel. However, both he and Vettel will approach things very cautiously. “We’re not going to go slow but I’m not going to promise any record attempts,” he added.
Why was Max Verstappen not allowed to drive?
For the demo run in Nurburgring, Red Bull decided to choose former driver Vettel and current reserve driver Ricciardo. However, they had their existing star, two-time world champion Max Verstappen who was very eager to driver.
Helmut Marko, however, didn’t want the Dutchman to suit up for that particular run. As reported by Autosport, Verstappen’s habit of pushing hard was what made Marko forbid him from showing up. He knows that Verstappen will try to break whatever record he has set his eyes on. Hence, the track’s dangerous layout poses a threat to Verstappen’s safety.
The demo-run will take place in September, and will see Ricciardo and Vettel drive their old F1 cars, using E-fuels.
