After a mid-season shift in 2023, Daniel Ricciardo rejoined the Red Bull family by securing a position at AlphaTauri.
His impressive performance in a Pirelli tyre test led to the replacement of Nyck de Vries, who had a challenging stint with Red Bull’s sister team. After his departure from McLaren in 2022, Ricciardo’s move to AlphaTauri has reignited his fluctuating career.
With Sergio Perez facing difficulties at Red Bull Racing and Ricciardo’s contract nearing its end, a potential return to Red Bull Racing is on the horizon for the Australian driver.
Daniel Ricciardo: A Red Bull Racing Finale Would Be Ideal
Ricciardo’s journey began with support from Red Bull, starting his motorsport career with teams like HRT and Toro Rosso. In 2014, he ascended to Red Bull Racing, partnering with Sebastian Vettel. Over five years, Ricciardo became a formidable force in Formula 1, outperforming Vettel and Daniil Kvyat. However, in 2016 with Max Verstappen entering the team, it shifted the team’s dynamics, leading Ricciardo to move to Renault and later McLaren. Now, back in the Red Bull environment, he aspires to finish his career there, preferably with the main team.
“I’m not even going to put a day, or date on it, or year, whatever,” he told the Beyond the Grid podcast when asked about his endgame and whether it’s the RBR seat after securing an F1 return.
“I think coming back into it and jumping back in with the Red Bull family, doing the test in July, all these things, working with Simon [Rennie] again, that’s really the dream.
“Honestly, to end my career as a Red Bull driver would be perfect. Not that I’m looking at the end, but if I go back there, then I’ll certainly make sure I finish there.”
Daniel Ricciardo: Eagerly Awaiting 2024
Ricciardo’s 2023 comeback was limited; he participated in only seven races due to missing five events after a severe practice crash at Zandvoort, which resulted in a broken metacarpal. His limited racing time in 2023 has left him eager to embark on a full season in 2024 and make the most of his second chance with Red Bull.
“Yeah, it’s probably the first off-season that I’ll want to not go too long in terms of, I just want to keep racing,” he laughed.
“I think now that I’m back in it, I missed some time with the hand and I missed the first half of the season, I feel like I want to just get going. I’m excited for next year.
“It’s really going to be a change. I think the whole mentality of the team, it’s no longer just a junior team. It’s definitely going to be more than that. I’ll get a lot more involved with Red Bull, obviously as much as I can within the rules.
“I think there’s a lot more potential that a team like this can have and show. Even in the last part of the season, we were 10th in the championship, fighting for seventh, it turned around really quickly.
“The team can also recognise that we can be more than probably what we’ve shown. That’s really exciting and I’m excited about what lies ahead. I’m hungry, motivated, happy, determined, everything I need to feel, so I can’t wait.”
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