Daniel Ricciardo got a second life to his F1 career at AlphaTauri as everything came tumbling down after a failed stint at McLaren. Dax Shephard in his recent eff won podcast reveals why Christian Horner gave another shot to Ricciardo while everyone else bailed on him.
In his yesteryears, Horner was also a race driver before he got into managing teams. And Shepard revealed that being up close to the insecurities of the drivers enabled the Red Bull boss’ faith to stay intact in Ricciardo.
“He was a driver. He knows what those insecurities are like. He knows how much it affects what you can do. And I think he believes in himself, and he believes if he can support Danny [Ricciardo], Danny has that talent,” said Shepard.
The podcaster even claimed that much of the return also came with Ricciardo’s exploits against four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel when Red Bull expected the least from him. So, they have seen his greatness.
Plus, there is no denying that Ricciardo is a likeable character. But beyond that, Ricciardo seems to have proved Horner right with his recent impressive performance in Mexico.
The Daniel Ricciardo show in Mexico City
This past Sunday in Mexico was probably the best day for Daniel Ricciardo ever since winning in Monza in 2021. The 34-year-old secured an impressive P7 result with AlphaTauri, which many believed was a backmarker for the majority of the year.
The vital six points by Ricciardo helped the Faenza-based team to climb two spots by overtaking Haas and Alfa Romeo in the standings. Meaning, they are P8 in the constructors’ championship now.
The rise could prove to be a huge financial boost as it would inject $20 million in AlphaTauri’s prize money if they maintain P8 by the end of the last three races.
TEAM STANDINGS
Daniel Ricciardo’s P7 helps @AlphaTauriF1 move up from last to P8 👀#F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/h8NzcRuiy4
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 30, 2023
Such a splendid performance in Mexico City could also be Ricciardo’s first step to making a solid case for himself to get back to Red Bull. This is because the move to AlphaTauri is intended to keep the Australian in line if ever the Milton-Keynes-based team decides to part ways with Sergio Perez.
