Daniel Ricciardo quips up while claiming that he is feeling ‘more and more comfortable’ at AlphaTauri

Daniel Ricciardo commented on his comeback at AlphaTauri and spoke about what lies ahead for the Aussie at the Italian outfit.

Daniel Ricciardo quips up while claiming that he is feeling ‘more and more comfortable’ at AlphaTauri

Daniel Ricciardo (via imago)

Daniel Ricciardo’s contract with McLaren was terminated early to vacate a seat for Oscar Piastri at the end of the previous season. Following that, he was signed on by Red Bull as their reserve driver at the end of 2022. Hence, Ricciardo was left without a full-time driving seat for 2023. However, Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri decided to bring him in to replace the underperforming Nick DeVries during the mid-season break. Thus, the Honey Badger was brought back to a full-time racing seat at the Italian outfit.

Having done a couple of races with the Faenza squad, Ricciardo recently commented on his time at the AlphaTauri garage.

Look, I’ve been I’ve been really happy with the short amount of time we’ve had. It hasn’t always shown on paper but even [Sao Paulo], as painful as it was starting a race essentially a lap down, I think we still showed really good signs of speed and understanding of the car, and progress, and I’m feeling more and more comfortable.
Daniel Ricciardo said, as reported by Speedcafe.
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Daniel Ricciardo is slated to retain his AlphaTauri seat for 2024. This has led to the rise of several reports that claim the Aussie’s performance will be directly compared to that of Sergio Perez. This has given hope to Ricciardo’s fans that if the Honey Badger’s results seem appreciable enough, he might have a dream comeback into the main Red Bull team.

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AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer pleased after Daniel Ricciardo attracts several sponsorship deals

Daniel Ricciardo faced an uncertain fate at the end of the 2022 season, left without a seat for the 2023 season after McLaren terminated his contract prematurely. However, fortune favored the 8-time Grand Prix winner as he made a comeback to the Formula 1 grid. Initially signed as the third driver at Red Bull, he swiftly secured a full-time seat at Red Bull’s sister team, AlphaTauri, during the mid-season break.

Daniel Ricciardo (via imago)
Daniel Ricciardo (via imago)

AlphaTauri’s CEO, Peter Bayer, recently expressed his happiness over the team securing numerous sponsorship deals, attributing the surge in interest to Daniel Ricciardo’s presence. The Australian driver is renowned for his charismatic personality and humor. Ricciardo enjoys immense popularity in Formula 1 and is often termed as being a ‘fan-favourite’ star. Ricciardo’s global appeal and the admiration he garners has translated into numerous valuable sponsorship deals for his current team.

Taking over from Nyck de Vries, who failed to impress Red Bull leadership during his brief stint, Ricciardo’s comeback was marred by a significant setback. A heavy crash during a Dutch Grand Prix practice session resulted in a major wrist injury, sidelining him for the subsequent five Grand Prix. The resilient Honey Badger made his triumphant return at the US Grand Prix at COTA, and AlphaTauri has been sailing smooth waters since.