Daniel Ricciardo will make his F1 return in next weekend’s Hungarian GP as Nyck de Vries loses his AlphaTauri seat.
Ricciardo will make his F1 return in next weekend’s Hungarian GP with AlphaTauri as de Vries has lost his drive after 10 rounds in his full-time debut year. The decision has been taken to let go a Formula 2 and Formula E champion with results not coming through.
De Vries rose to limelight after his heroics in Monza last year but ever since he started with AlphaTauri, it has been a bit of struggle. There was lot of expectation from the Dutchman where he was pipped to beat Yuki Tsunoda from the get go.
The Japanese racer, however, has had the upperhand so far. Despite some improvements from de Vries, time was running out and the eventual decision has been taken by Red Bull to put its reserve driver Ricciardo in the car against Tsunoda.
Having last driven with McLaren in 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, Ricciardo will make his official F1 return with AlphaTauri – a team he has previously raced for under the Toro Rosso name. He is currently undertaking the Pirelli tyre test with Red Bull at Silverstone.
“I’m very pleased to welcome Daniel back into the team,” said Franz Tost, Scuderia AlphaTauri Team Principal. “There’s no doubt about his driving skill, 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.
“I would like to thank Nyck for his valuable contribution during his time with Scuderia AlphaTauri, and I wish him all the best for the future.” At the same time, Christian Horner stated: “It is 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. 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.” And finally, Ricciardo added: “I’m stoked to be back on track with the Red Bull family!”
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