Daniel Ricciardo will make his return to front-line Formula 1 racing at the Hungarian Grand Prix later this month, replacing Dutch driver Nyck De Vries at the AlphaTauri team for the rest of the season. The announcement from Red Bull is a smart move and gives them plenty of options moving forward for both the team and for Kiwi Red Bull Reserve driver Liam Lawson.
De Vries, who made a sensational one-off drive for Williams F1 Racing at Monza last year finishing in the points in ninth position, has been found wanting in his first full F1 season. The Dutchman has failed to score any points while his AlphaTauri team sits at the bottom of the constructors’ standings.
Ricciardo is an eight-times F1 Grand Prix winner, previously driving for both Scuderia Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) (2012-13) and Infiniti Red Bull Racing (2014 – 18) before moving to Renault and then the McLaren F1 teams. His time in F1 from 2012-18 represents a significant investment by Red Bull. He has the experience and knows what it takes to win.
With his joining AlphaTauri, his experience will give owners Red Bull Racing more of an idea on how good (or bad) both the 2023 chassis and teammate Yuki Tsunoda are.
Tsunoda has just two-points from the 2023 season and may well only be in the team because of his association with their engine supplier, Honda.
Ricciardo’s promotion will undoubtedly open up options for Red Bull for the next couple of years as they grapple with what to do with AlphaTauri and more particularly heading towards a a new Ford powerplant in 2026.
One could see that while there has been speculation that AlphaTauri could be sold in a very high-value F1 market, Red Bull may well be looking to revitalise the outfit in their fight with Haas F1 and Williams at the back of the field.
When making Ricciardo a Red Bull reserve driver, it was never envisaged that he would actually compete again for the team. However, the decision appears to represent a new direction of the management team since the death of owner and founder, Dietrich Mateschitz, late in 2022.
Mareshitz and Dr Helmut Marko were a tight team that appeared together make all strategic motorsport decisions. Now with a new management team, it appears that there are new influences in the future direction and decision making.
The decision also sends a signal to young Red Bull Junior drivers – perform or die! And, it could be argued that it gives them an option to replace the inconsistent Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team mate, should this be required.
The decision is also a good thing for driver-in-waiting, Kiwi Liam Lawson. Lawson, currently a Red Bull reserve driver won’t want to hop into a F1 seat too soon which may have been the down-fall for De Vries.
Lawson is currently competing in the Japanese 2023 Super Formula Series and may well benefit from a full season in that category, even staying there for 2024. He has time on his side and more team options may well open with the probability of two more teams joining the grid from 2026.
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