Daniel Ricciardo is finally getting his mojo back after joining AlphaTauri midway into the 2023 season. The Australian driver returned to the F1 grid after an eight-month break. However, there are still several things that Ricciardo has to watch out for in the months to come. According to Business F1, Ricciardo still needs to achieve a goal to cement his place in the sport next year.
After two bittersweet years at McLaren, Ricciardo lost out on his seat at the end of the 2022 season. Even though McLaren didn’t have a competitive car to fight at the front, the honey badger was comprehensively outperformed by teammate Lando Norris.
Looking forward to returning home 😊 https://t.co/cT3yFUXBhz
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) November 23, 2022
Following his Woking exit, he made a full circle by returning to Red Bull as a reserve driver. Upon returning, he made it clear that he wanted to get back to driving in F1 once again and began aiming for the Red Bull seat for 2024. However, owing to Nyck de Vries’ sacking, the team decided to loan him off to sister team AlphaTauri. He will now spend the remainder of the season in the team formerly known as Toro Rosso.
The 34-year-old took to the track for AlphaTauri for the first time in Hungary and then Belgium in the following week. Even though he managed to impress the bosses and fans with his performances, his F1 future is still in danger.
What does Daniel Ricciardo need to do to save his F1 career?
According to a report published by Business F1, Ricciardo needs to outperform his teammate Tsunoda at AlphaTauri if he wants to keep his seat next season. He has to do this bare minimum, if he wants Red Bull to consider him for a spot at the main team too.
The AlphaTauri AT04 has been a majorly underwhelming challenger this season. Therefore, the Australian driver is expected to struggle in the wrong end of the grid. Hence, competing against his teammate is the only way forward for him and keep his seat.
One two one two 🤜🤜#BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/qZxW7fMe5R
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) July 30, 2023
Surprisingly, following his return, the former Renault driver appreciated the AT04. While comparing it to the McLaren car he drove, the Perth-born driver stated that his current car is better at handling it even though it’s slower.
Business F1 also reported that Ricciardo is currently in a much better shape than he was during his nightmarish McLaren stint.
Following the McLaren exit, Ricciardo finds himself in much better shape
Reports suggest that Daniel Ricciardo prioritized his fitness after he was shown the exit door from McLaren. He lost a lot of weight, and toned himself up for the task at Red Bull and AlphaTauri.
Furthermore, Ricciardo is believed to have taken his role more seriously than the one he was working for at McLaren. According to a former F1 team principal, he has transformed himself into a serious racing driver from “Netflix’s village idiot.”
Notably, the 34-year-old also took a sharp pay cut to stay in the sport. After switching from Red Bull to Renault in 2019, he got paid $36 million. But now at Red Bull Racing, he is rumored to be paid around $3 to $5 million a year.
