Five times Red Bull replaced a driver in the middle of an F1 season
Daniel Ricciardo’s return to AlphaTauri marks the latest switch in Red Bull’s long history of mid-season driver swaps.
Daniel Ricciardo (Image credit: The Athletic) and Nyck de Vries (Image credit: EverythingF1)
It’s no secret that Nyck de Vries struggled to fit in during his debut Formula One season. Not only did he fail to score any points in the first ten races, but he also made several rookie mistakes along the way. Consequently, Red Bull concluded that it was time for a shift. Daniel Ricciardo‘s impressive performance during the Silverstone tire test further convinced Red Bull’s decision to sack the Dutchman.
This deal entails Daniel Ricciardo on loan to AlphaTauri, Red Bull’s sister team. The Australian will make the switch, with immediate effect, at the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix. Daniel last raced for Torro Rosso in 2013 before progressing to Red Bull.
His one-off appearance at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, where he replaced Alex Albon in the Williams, turned quite a few heads. Unfortunately for De Vries, the momentum he gained from this quickly when he joined AlphaTauri as a full-time driver. Senior teammate Yuki Tsunoda had the better of De Vries in all ten races of this year’s season.
The recent return of Daniel Ricciardo to race for AlphaTauri signifies Red Bull’s latest decision to make an in-season driver swap. As the owner of both Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri (previously known as Toro Rosso), the team has an infamous history of making significant changes to their driver line-ups. Here is a compilation of all the previous occasions where Red Bull replaced a driver before the end of an F1 season.
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2006 – Christian Klien in, Robert Doornbos out
Towards the end of the 2006 F1 season, David Coulthard showcased his impressionable talent while teammate Christian Klien failed to do so. With just three races to go in the season, Red Bull finally snapped and decided to sack Klien before the Chinese GP.
Red Bull then welcomed their new signing Dutchman Robert Doornbos. The same year, Coulthard secured one podium at the Monaco Grand Prix. However, Doornbos’ stay with the Milton Keynes outfit too was short-lived. As he did not get to keep his seat for the 2007 season, Red Bull then recruited Mark Webber as his replacement.
2007 – Sebastian Vettel in, Scott Speed out
Midway through Torro Rosso’s second year under the Red Bull junior program, a unlikely strain emerged between team principal Franz Tost and full-time driver Scott Speed. There were rumors of a possible physical fight between them, although it’s unclear if that happened.
However, this alleged physical altercation led to the introduction of Sebastian Vettel to the world of Formula One. Vettel was promoted to Torro Rosso at the 2007 Hungarian GP as a full-time driver for the Italian team.
2009 – Sebastien Bourdais in, Jaime Alguersuari out
Former Champcar Champion Sebastien Bourdais struggled against the emerging talent of Sebastian Vettel in 2008 and 2009. Red Bull had seen enough by his second season. Toro Rosso boldly moved during the Hungarian Grand Prix, signing 19-year-old Spanish driver Jaime Alguersuari. He became the youngest F1 driver ever of the time.
This marked a period of stability for Red Bull, as they maintained consistent line-ups for the next two years. Daniel Ricciardo replaced Alguersuari in 2012, while Jean-Eric Vergne joined the team. Red Bull made further changes in 2014, promoting Ricciardo and giving Carlos Sainz a chance.
2016 – Max Verstappen in, Daniil Kvyat demoted to AlphaTauri
Max Verstappen burst onto the Formula 1 scene in 2015 with Toro Rosso, impressing everyone and attracting attention from rival teams. Meanwhile, Daniil Kvyat had a decent start to his 2016 season but caused trouble by colliding with Vettel in both the Chinese and Russian GP.
In a surprising move, Red Bull decided to demote Kvyat back to Toro Rosso and promote Verstappen to the main team. The decision quickly paid off when Verstappen, the youngest driver on the grid, fought a thrilling battle with Kimi Raikkonen. The Dutchman fended off the experienced Finn and emerged as the winner in Barcelona.
2019 – Alex Albon progressed to Red Bull, Pierre Gasly was demoted to AlphaTauri
Red Bull embarked on the 2019 season with Pierre Gasly partnering Max Verstappen following Daniel Ricciardo’s departure to Renault. However, Gasly was under scrutiny right from the start due to pre-season testing crashes that did not impress the team’s authorities. Gasly’s struggles persisted throughout the year, with Verstappen occasionally lapping him, intensifying the spotlight on his performance.
After just 12 races, Red Bull took the bold step of demoting Gasly back to AlphaTauri. At the same time, they promoted rookie Alex Albon to the senior team in a direct driver swap. Gasly later regained his confidence with AlphaTauri, securing a move to Alpine for the 2023 season. Meanwhile, Albon faced challenges during the 2020 season, leading to his demotion in 2021 as Red Bull recruited Sergio Perez.
From the start, De Vries faced significant challenges in matching Tsunoda’s pace, exacerbating the situation with incidents and accidents. As a result, his position within the team came under scrutiny, especially with Daniel Ricciardo ready to step in as a reserve driver and promising junior Liam Lawson and Ayumu Iwasa in the wings.
Ricciardo’s arrival could also be interpreted to intensify the pressure on struggling Sergio Perez, whose performances have faltered during the mid-season phase. With an academy as cutthroat as Red Bull, Sergio Perez could soon follow Nyck de Vries’ suit.
FAQ’s
Red Bull replaced Christian Klien with Robert Doornbos due to his underwhelming performance and Coulthard’s strong showing.
Alleged tension between team principal Franz Tost and Scott Speed, possibly involving a physical altercation, prompted Sebastian Vettel’s introduction.
Sebastien Bourdais struggled against Sebastian Vettel, leading Red Bull to bring in Alguersuari.
Kvyat’s collisions with Vettel triggered Red Bull’s decision to demote him to Toro Rosso, promoting Max Verstappen to the main team.
Pierre Gasly’s struggles, including pre-season testing crashes, prompted Red Bull to demote him, while Albon was promoted to the senior team.
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Elaine D'Cruz
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