As Daniel Ricciardo makes his way back into F1, a lot of rekindled friendships return to the F1 paddock. Max Verstappen and Lando Norris joined the rest of the paddock in welcoming back their source of joy. However, it’s not the only thing Ricciardo goes back to. With the AlphaTauri move, he returns to square one.
Over a decade after joining Torro Rosso, Ricciardo has been forced to move back to the team that kick-started his F1 career as a sort of Hail Mary to rekindle it. It’s not the best situation to be in, but it is the most realistic one.
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Joining the Red Bull B-Team could potentially be game-changing for Ricciardo, but it is a shot in the dark. Thus, the ever-looming question of Ricciardo’s career choices was at the forefront at the Hungarian GP.
Max Verstappen defends Daniel Ricciardo
At the press conference ahead of the race weekend, David Croft pitched the idea to Ricciardo that what he was doing was like going back to an ex. The SkySports Journalist asked, “They say sometimes you shouldn’t go back to your ex because it’s fraught with potential problems. Is this fraught with potential problems?”
Cutting him off, Verstappen intervened, “You have experience with that? No? OK.” The journalist let out an awkward laugh in response. “No, no, absolutely no experience. I’ve just read about it on the Internet. Quite happy with my current fiancée, thank you very much.”
Ricciardo then went on to explain how there was no problem with returning to his ex. “It’s all good. It’s all positive.”
Additionally, Ricciardo didn’t mind the trip down memory lane at Faenza. “That team has changed. I’ve changed, you know. There’s a nice kind of nostalgia going back. But I feel like we both evolved. And I’m starting this next phase, next chapter, with a very kind of fresh, I don’t know, page.”
Verstappen thrilled to have his friend back
While there are a lot of whispers about Ricciardo’s comeback, Verstappen is a happy man. For starters, Ricciardo replaced one of his friends and compatriot, Nyck deVries, to get his awaited return. Further, he adds pressure on Sergio Perez, who is currently underperforming in the Red Bull.
But Verstappen was unbothered and made a resounding statement while vocalizing his joy. “‘s great to have Daniel back on the grid within the family. I never actually wanted him to leave. We know that we get on really well. If Daniel does well where he is now, then of course you have the opportunity to go back up. So it’s all open, to be honest.”
A blow to his current teammate, Verstappen was clearly overjoyed to see his best friend back, and potentially next to him in the near future. However, as things go, Ricciardo is the man of the moment at the Hungarian GP weekend, and all eyes are on him. This is an opportunity to shine and kill all the questions regarding what could be a career-defining comeback.
