Ben Madilynn
CNN
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Daniel Ricciardo makes a surprise mid-season return on the Formula One grid. The Australian driver replaces the struggling Nyck De Vries at AlphaTauri.
Ricciardo currently is a Red Bull Reserve Driver is being sent “on loan” Red Bull announced Tuesday that it will be bringing in a feeder team to the rest of the 2023 racing season.
The 34-year old, who will be racing for AlphaTauri at the next Grand Prix in Hungary on 23 July, said that he was “stoked to be back on track with the Red Bull family,” F1’s website states that.
Lawrence Barretto from F1 reported that Ricciardo would have made the front row for Sunday’s race if he had driven his best lap at Tuesday’s test. This was the first time he drove Red Bull’s new 2023. British Grand Prix.
“It was great to see Daniel hasn’t lost any form while away from racing and that the strides he has been making in his SIM sessions translate on track,” Christian Horner is the Red Bull Team’s principle.
“His times during the tyre test were extremely competitive. It was a very impressive drive and we are excited to see what the rest of the season brings for Daniel on loan at Scuderia AlphaTauri.”
Ricciardo previously raced for AlphaTauri – then named Toro Rosso – in 2012 and 2013 before being promoted to a Red Bull seat in 2014, going on to win seven grands prix in five seasons with the team, including top spot on the podium at the 2018 Monaco GP.
Ricciardo opted to join Renault in 2019 – a decision that was played out in the hit Netflix series ‘Drive to Survive – and then McLaren two years later, but was dropped by the team at the end of his second seasonAfter several disappointing performances and a year before the contract expiration date, he was released from his contract.
De Vries was the Formula E World Champion who failed to deliver in his debut season in F1.
De Vries, one of two drivers to not score a single points this season, is at the bottom of the driver rankings. He has a best result of 12The th Monaco GP – Places at the Monaco GP
Red Bull is notoriously brutal with its driver selection, dropping Pierre Gasly to Toro Rosso midseason in 2019 and replacing him with Alex Albon, before axing the British driver at the end of the following season, with the pressure facing Red Bull drivers becoming a key theme in ‘Drive to Survive.’
Sergio Perez feels the same pressure now after a series of poor performances. The Mexican driver, who has raced in the same vehicle for five races straight, has not made it to the third qualifying round. He is 99 points behind Max Vertappen.
Perez only managed to reach the podium in one of the last five races after a quick start to the race.
