Daniel Ricciardo was very vocal about the problems he was facing during his disastrous run at McLaren. He had a lot of problems with the car at his disposal and never looked comfortable when suited up for the papaya outfit. Now, with people expecting the same as he makes his comeback at AlphaTauri, Ricciardo believes he is unlikely to have a similar problem.
After the sudden decision to bring in the Australian driver to replace Nyck de Vries at the Faenza-based team, Ricciardo has already started working with the team. After the grand welcome he received from the AlphaTauri team back at the factory, the eight-time GP winner is all set to return to the F1 track in Hungary.
Furthermore, Ricciardo has also gotten some time behind the wheel of an F1 car earlier this season. He drove the RB19 at Silverstone as part of a tire test, after the British GP. This experience could prove to be invaluable to Ricciardo, as he looks to get up to speed with AlphaTauri from the very get go.
Daniel Ricciardo is hopeful of a better start
After two bittersweet years at the McLaren followed by his unceremonious sacking, Ricciardo believes he can make a solid return to F1 grid with AlphaTauri. He spoke about the car being slow, but feels that it’s good handling could play to his strengths, This, as a result, will help him to push for stronger results, that could get AlphaTauri out of the bottom.
Talking about this, the former Renault star stated during an interview with Lawrence Barretto: “I appreciate the car is going to have its limitations. It might not have as much grip as the Red Bull I drove a few days ago. But, if it feels relatively balanced, then that’s something I can work with.”
getting the Italian accent going 🇮🇹 😉@danielricciardo 👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/K2EmhTkwR7
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) July 14, 2023
With this, the Honey Badger is all set for the upcoming race at Hungaroring. Ricciardo, however, insisted that he isn’t feeling the pressure. This is because he can have a leeway until the summer break. Then, he can use the time off to figure out his drive, and impress everyone as he eyes a Red Bull return for 2024.
Ricciardo and his return to the Red Bull family
With his AlphaTauri return, Daniel Ricciardo has completed a full circle as he began his racing for the Red Bull family with Toro Rosso back in 2012. Now, 11 years later, he is with Red Bull’s sister team again and is hopeful for bigger things.
The recent Silverstone test is a vert strong testament to the fact that Ricciardo will do anything it takes to get back to Red Bull. With Sergio Perez struggling at the team, especially in qualifying, it seems like the Perth-born driver has a golden opportunity to reignite his career with the Milton-Keynes-based outfit.
However, before anything else, Ricciardo has to make sure that he gets the better of Yuki Tsunoda at AlphaTauri. The young Japanese driver has been highly rated by his team members, and even Dr. Helmut Marko, who is believed to be the final decision maker at Red Bull.
