The Red Bull Roller Coaster continues, as the F1 team’s third driver is now headed to its junior team, AlphaTauri, to take Dutch rookie Nyck de Vries’ seat, with immediate effect.
Although de Vries is a former Formula 2 champion who impressed the grid in 2022 by scoring points at the Italian Grand Prix as a replacement driver for Williams, he is one of just two drivers who have failed to score a single point during the 2023 Formula One season.
That has led to frustration from team management, including advisor Helmut Marko, reports Motorsport. While his car, the AT04, has certainly not helped him in his first full season in F1, teammate Yuki Tsunoda has managed to score two points so far this season, and has been on the verge of scoring points at several Grands Prix.
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Now, de Vries’ seat will be filled by Ricciardo, reports formula1.com. The Australian driver returned to Red Bull (which owns both the Red Bull and AlphaTauri F1 teams) after a difficult stint with McLaren, in which he failed to live up to expectations. After less than a year on the side lines, he is now back on the grid, saying he is “stoked to be back on track with the Red Bull family!”
The announcement comes on the same day that Ricciardo took to the cockpit of an F1 car for the first time since his ignominious departure from McLaren. The driver was handed the wheel to the Red Bull RB19 (with which it is dominating the 2023 season), for a Pirelli tire test at Silverstone today.
Before taking the wheel at Silverstone, Ricciardo was in the simulator, testing for the team and, according to 2023 Formula One Driver’s Championship leader Max Verstappen, has been doing a fine job. Meanwhile, Ricciardo’s history with both teams puts him in a position to thrive at AlphaTauri, according to team principal Franz Tost.
“I’m very pleased to welcome Daniel back into the team,” said Tost. “There’s no doubt about his driving skills, and he already knows many of us, so his integration will be easy and straight forward. The team will also profit a lot from his experience, as he is an eight-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner.”
Ricciardo’s first race back will take place at the Hungarian Grand Prix, on July 23.