Daniel Ricciardo: The Australian racer has been itching to get back to the circuit, and will finally do so next week at Austria.
The Covid-19 outbreak had poured cold waters on Daniel Ricciardo’s hope of getting back in an F1 car this year, but it seems his wish would be fulfilled next week.
The 30-year-old will test for his current Renault alongside his teammate Frenchman Esteban Ocon, in the build-up to the F1 season 2020 season kicking off next month.
Renault will head down to Spielberg to test at the Red Bull Ring. This is significant because the first two races will be held in Austria. This may give the French team a slight advantage over their rivals, going into the start of the F1 season.
Daniel Ricciardo was unsure of being in his A-game if the season resumed. The warm-ups starting next week will undoubtedly help him and his fellow drivers gain that lost confidence, down to the fact that they have not raced at all for over 7 months now, and the only ‘feel’ of F1 they got was the e-racing initiative taken by the sport during the lockdown break.
Ricciardo is nonetheless pumped up for the races starting next month, where the near-superhuman abilities of some of the fastest car drivers in the world will be tested to the core.
Renault will test at Spielberg using their 2018 car – the R.S.18. Ricciardo will test on June 16, with his teammate Esteban Ocon the following suit the next day.
Renault has had a difficult year so far, and this is just not limited to the racing on the F1 circuit. The novel coronavirus outbreak has delivered a massive hit to the French giants, and they laid off thousands of employees a few weeks back.
There were also reports of 2020 being the last year of them competing in F1. Fortunately, the 121-year-old organization quashed any such rumours and expressed their desire to continue in the sport beyond 2020.
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On the transfer’s front, the team will witness the departure of Ricciardo to rivals McLaren. They are on the lookout for a replacement, with team legend Fernando Alonso pipped to make a shock comeback to the team.
