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Daniel Ricciardo Returns to F1 with AlphaTauri

Written by Owen Bradley, Edited by Sharifah Zaqreeztrina

Ricciardo returned to do a tyre test with Red Bull. Credit: Mark Thompson

After a lot of speculation regarding Nyck De Vries’ departure from Alphatauri, Daniel Ricciardo is officially returning to the F1 grid, replacing De Vries.


Nyck De Vries was let go from the Red Bull academy and AlphaTauri following a string of bad performances this season, where he didn’t pick up a single point within the first 10 races. At the time of reports about De Vries leaving Red Bull and Alphatauri, Ricciardo was running laps in the Red Bull RB19 and was doing some tyre tests.


Ricciardo has been clearly pushing himself to the limit, as trackside videos surfaced, which showed Ricciardo going for a spin before going onto the national straight. According to rumours, the test was being done for the car itself, but also to test Ricciardo’s driving ability aboard the current Red Bull car which has been incredibly dominant so far in 2023, by achieving victories in the first 10 races, between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Verstappen even leads the championship by 99-points to teammate Perez.


With Perez not making it into Qualifying 3 in five races this year, it means that he is running a little thinner on the ice than he was compared to the beginning of the season, recovering a 16th place start at the British Grand Prix, to a 6th place finish during the race.


The question therefore must be posed, if Daniel Ricciardo is able to perform in that AlphaTauri which has scored just two points across the first 10 races, then could this actually be a race to the Red Bull seat?

Ricciardo Returned to drive the RB19 for the first time. Credit: Mark Thompson -

It is understood that Daniel Ricciardo will be taking the Alpha Tauri seat until the end of 2023, giving him just over half a season to try and prove himself enough to warrant a place on the grid for 2024. With Perez currently cracking under some pressure, many fans of “The Honey Badger” will be clamouring at the opportunity to see him in the most dominant car on the grid for the next season.


However, whilst many fans are very excited about this news, it must be noted that Ricciardo’s stint at McLaren which only lasted for two of his three-year contract, did not end well. Despite a win with McLaren at Monza 2021, Ricciardo often lacked pace and found himself in an extremely uncomfortable position, leaving McLaren and therefore Formula One, behind.


A few months later, with Ricciardo being as popular and quick as he is, Ricciardo has managed to find himself back on the grid, with his main goal seemingly being to earn his drive back at Red Bull, the team which he left at the end of 2018.


Thus, a battle begins in the F1 2023 season - Sergio Perez versus Daniel Ricciardo. Whilst many may feel that this is a little shallow for the motorsport, and perhaps this even sets an unfair comparison as there is a vast pace difference between the Red Bull and the Alphatauri, it must be known that Perez has frequently failed to perform in 2023, and although he has won several times, it looks like the return of the Aussie driver will only mount even more pressure onto the Mexican’s shoulders, as he attempts to make a comeback going towards the end of the first half of this season.


What do you think? Are you glad to see Daniel Ricciardo’s return to Formula One? Let us know in the comments down below!


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