Red Bull sent F1 fans into a frenzy when they announced the return of Daniel Ricciardo to the grid with AlphaTauri. Even though the Australian driver would have wanted to be a part of a faster team, he accepts the reality of the situation. As for the rest of the season, Ricciardo is ready to make the most of the opportunity he has at hand.
After being dropped by McLaren at the end of the 2022 season, Ricciardo claimed that he would be taking the year off from F1 to recharge himself. However, after just 10 races this campaign, he is ready to make his awaited comeback. Nyck de Vries got sacked after a string of poor performances, and Ricciardo, who was Red Bull’s first choice, got the nod.
Ricciardo admitted that he knows about the car having certain limitations. Nevertheless, he will try to do his best with what he gets. He also added that he is focused on helping AlphaTauri get better as the season progresses. He wants the team to get faster, and get out of the last position in the coming race weekends.
Ricciardo’s goals with AlphaTauri
Ricciardo has a very specific idea of what he wants to achieve with AlphaTauri. As per Formula Passion, the former McLaren driver said, “ I know it has been difficult for the team to get a points finish this year. So pushing this car and trying to get it into the top 10 I think would make everyone very satisfied and excited .”
De Vries, who is being replaced by Ricciardo after just 10 races with the Italian outfit, never managed to qualify in the top 10. The best that the Dutchman achieved was a P12 start in Monaco. Compared to de Vries, his teammate Yuki Tsunoda has already made two Q3 appearances this season.
🗣️ | Helmut Marko on De Vries
“We expected De Vries to be equivalent to Tsunoda, but saw no improvement.
We had to do something. Why should we wait and what does two extra races matter if you don’t see any improvement? Nyck is a very nice guy, but the speed just wasn’t there.” pic.twitter.com/AEfQthLZAD
— RBR News 🇳🇱🇲🇽 (@redbulletin) July 12, 2023
When it comes to the race pace, Tsunoda has managed to finish twice within the points, both of them being P10 finishes. De Vries could not manage to get his car into the points either. At the time of his sacking, the only other driver to remain point-less was William’s Logan Sargeant.
If Ricciardo wants to make a mark, he has to outperform Tsunoda at the least. However, considering the fact that he is joining mid-season, things could get difficult for him. Additionally, Tsunoda’s performances have been very strong this year.
Daniel Ricciardo has already shown pace this season
One of the main reasons why AlphaTauri ended up sighing Ricciardo was his strong showing at Silverstone last week. He took part in Pirelli’s tire test after the British GP and managed to impress Red Bull team principal Christian Horner instantly with his pace.
According to F1 reporter Lawrence Barretto, the times set by Ricciardo during the test were good enough to guarantee him a front-row start at the British GP. Horner did not waste a second and immediately got on the phone with Dr. Helmut Marko. This call ended up ensuring Ricciardo’s return.
Some pictures of Daniel Ricciardo ahead of the Pirelli Tyre test! pic.twitter.com/Q0m7hzoYsq
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) July 11, 2023
The eight-time Grand Prix winner will have to replicate the same level of performance in the races to come. But this time it could be difficult, because he has to prove himself outside of a controlled environment. However, Ricciardo will be hopeful about putting in some good results as he eyes a return to Red Bull soon.
