AlphaTauri’s latest recruit, Daniel Ricciardo has no time to relax as he needs to hit the ground running as soon as possible. With the Hungarian Grand Prix in just over a week’s time, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has already assigned the Australian his first task. And that is to go toe-to-toe with the rising star Yuki Tsunoda.
Ricciardo will join the AlphaTauri team with immediate effect after the Italian outfit sacked Nyck de Vries earlier this week. The axing of the Dutchman mid-season is reflective of how brutal the sport can be when any driver fails to meet expectations.
The 28-year-old faced the same fate as Ricciardo faced at the end of last season. Following the conclusion of the 2022 season, McLaren parted ways with the Australian after he failed to meet expectations.
Toto Wolff and Nyck de Vries were seen at a café in Monaco today. 👀#F1 pic.twitter.com/aodVcPjgxT
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 12, 2023
With the 34-year-old having gone through this period himself, he more than anyone knows how important it is to perform. Hence, he will hope to deliver from the get-go with AlphaTauri, having already worked hard on the simulator for the past few months with the senior Red Bull team. The primary question that now arises is if Ricciardo can match Tsunoda. This is because the Japanese driver is already very comfortable with AlphaTauri, having spent two full seasons with the team.
Marko wants Ricciardo to match “underestimated” Tsunoda
While speaking in a recent interview with telegraaf.nl, Helmut Marko assigned Daniel Ricciardo his immediate task. “From Ricciardo, we first have to see how he compares to Tsunoda,” said the 80-year-old.
Marko then explained why he believes that this is not the easiest of tasks by adding, “I think Yuki is underestimated by a lot of people. The AlphaTauri is not the easiest car to drive, but Yuki has proven that it is possible to get good results“.
Even though AlphaTauri continues to be last in the Constructors’ Championship with just two points, Tsunoda is yet to deliver some decent performances this season. Other than his last two races, the Japanese driver has finished in the top 15 in each of his other eight races.
When it comes to his points-scoring finishes, he scored one point each in both Melbourne and Baku. However, if there is any driver who can match this sort of performance despite a car with poor performance, then it is undoubtedly Ricciardo.
The pressure will be on the Australian, as Red Bull decided to sign him ahead of their young drivers, such as Liam Lawson. The Red Bull management presumably made such a move because the 33-year-old is extremely marketable. And more importantly, he has the experience of helping AlphaTauri recover from their current slump.
Helmut Marko signed Daniel Ricciardo after his testing performance
Daniel Ricciardo was so impressive during his testing runs at Silverstone after the British Grand Prix that Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko decided to sign him without much hesitation. According to some reports, the 34-year-old’s performance at the British GP was good enough for even a front-row start.
As for Ricciardo, he will use his opportunity at AlphaTauri as a potential stepping stone to sign for the senior Red Bull team. The Australian will have more than half the season to prove that he still has what it takes to deliver at the highest level. And if he does perform, there is a chance that he could replace Sergio Perez, who has recently had his share of struggles at Red Bull.
