Daniel Ricciardo’s resurrection from reserve driver role reportedly doing wonders for AlphaTauri in terms of sponsorship

Daniel Ricciardo’s incredible popularity has favored his current team immensely as AlphaTauri are reported to welcome several new sponsorship deals in 2024.

Daniel Ricciardo’s resurrection from reserve driver role reportedly doing wonders for AlphaTauri in terms of sponsorship

Daniel Ricciardo (via imago)

Daniel Ricciardo was unfortunately left without a seat in 2023 at the end of the 2022 season. The Australian’s previous team, McLaren, decided to terminate the driver’s contract early to make space for the rookie Oscar Piastri. However, fortunes favored Ricciardo as he found his way back onto the Formula 1 grid. Daniel Ricciardo was signed up as the 3rd driver at Red Bull and soon received his full-time seat at Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri in the mid-season break.

Nyck de Vries was the driver that Ricciardo was replacing after De Vries failed to impress the Red Bull bosses during his half-season stint. Ricciardo, fresh off of his comeback, encountered bad luck yet again as he crashed heavily at a Dutch GP practice session. The driver incurred a major ‘wrist injury’ which saw him out of the next 5 Grands Prix.

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The ‘Honey Badger’ returned to racing at the US GP and his team, AlphaTauri has been on smooth sails since. Their team Boss, Peter Bayer, [as reported by Formula1a.uno] recently expressed his joy about getting several sponsorship deals because of Daniel Ricciardo. He is one of the most popular figures in Formula 1. Ricciardo’s popularity and the adoration, that he receives from fans across the world, is rewarded by several sponsorship deals.

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AlphaTauri seem extremely happy about Daniel Ricciardo’s arrival despite his injury absence

AlphaTauri is a team that has been long renowned for fostering Red Bull’s emerging talents before they step onto the main Red Bull team. The Faenza outfit surprised the F1 community by bringing in the seasoned driver Daniel Ricciardo during the 2023 mid-season break. The team, often associated with nurturing rookies, shifted gears when Ricciardo stepped in to replace Nyck de Vries, securing his AlphaTauri seat for the 2024 season.

Daniel Ricciardo (via Planet F1)
Daniel Ricciardo (via Planet F1)

Jonathan Eddolls, AlphaTauri’s Head of Trackside Engineering, underscored the immense value that Ricciardo’s experience brings to the team. According to Speedcafe, Eddolls noted the immediate impact of Ricciardo’s presence, emphasizing the high quality of his feedback. 

Pretty much straight away you could feel the quality of the feedback.

The appreciation for Ricciardo’s influence at AlphaTauri is incredible to see. The team itself has appeared to be a much better outfit since the Aussie arrived at their garage. Ricciardo is also slated to retain his seat on the team in 2024, a season where he will be partnering with Yuki Tsunoda yet again.