Daniel Ricciardo will finally get behind the wheels of the RB19 later this year when he takes part in a Pirelli tyre test. Amid rumors of him being considered for a return in the near future, Ricciardo admits that he’s hungry to show the Red Bull management that he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level.
Earlier this week, there were reports stating that Helmut Marko wasn’t happy with AlphaTauri’s new driver, Nyck de Vries. To replace the Dutchman, Ricciardo was labeled as a potential candidate, but soon, those rumors turned out to be false. Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson is now the favorite to replace De Vries, in case Marko decides to pull the plug on him midway into the season.
Duty calls 🍯🦡
Daniel Ricciardo will be taking the @redbullracing RB19 for a spin around Silverstone following July’s British Grand Prix for the @pirellisport tyre test.
📸 x @danielricciardo #BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/nFAOZAdtDf
— Silverstone (@SilverstoneUK) May 11, 2023
Even though Ricciardo acknowledged that his chances of returning to F1 this season as a full-time driver are slim, he is looking forward to his tyre test at Silverstone later this year. By getting behind the wheels of the RB19 at the British GP weekend, he wants to show Marko and Christian Horner that he is ready to return to Red Bull. Speaking to Sky Sports, the 33-year-old said:
“I feel like there is still some unfinished business. I’m continuing to do the simulator. I’m going to jump in the car in July to get back behind the wheel. Naturally, I’m going to put a bit of pressure on myself for that and try to remind the team that I can still do it. We’ll see where it goes.”
Daniel Ricciardo was rumored to replace Nyck de Vries
Nyck de Vries had to wait a long time to get his shot in F1, but so far, the 2019 F2 Champion hasn’t lived up to expectations. De Vries is the only driver this year along with Logan Sargeant, to not have scored a single point, and his season has been riddled with mistakes and incidents on track that have cost AlphaTauri.
As a result, earlier this week, reports of Marko not being happy with De Vries came up, and they also claimed that Ricciardo was a potential replacement. In fact, the Aussie driver was present at the team’s base in Faenza, Italy, to get a seat fit done.
Nyck De Vries onboard crash – AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿 Q1.#F1 #AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿 pic.twitter.com/SMtClQ5BqR
— phisee (@f1phisee) April 28, 2023
However, as it turns out, Liam Lawson and not Daniel Ricciardo will be the replacement of choice for Marko. Red Bull has invested heavily in Lawson, who competes in Super Formula, over the years. An opportunity for him to make his way into F1 would give the New Zealand-born driver an opportunity to repay the faith.
Why did Ricciardo get a seat fit at AlphaTauri?
Ricciardo couldn’t land a full-time seat at the end of the 2022 season, which made him take the decision of returning to Red Bull. However, his return was in the form of a third-driver, solely responsible for the simulator and marketing duties.
However, as Christian Horner promised, Ricciardo will get to drive an F1 car. The honey badger will drive the RB19 in Silverstone as officially confirmed, but may also get a shot to take it out for a spin at Monza later this year.
It is extremely unlikely that Ricciardo will replace De Vries at AlphaTauri, and him getting a seat fit in Faenza could be down to him preparing for tests for Red Bull’s sister team. It’s also possible that Marko wants Ricciardo to be a reserve driver for Alpha-Tauri too.
