McLaren outcast Daniel Ricciardo set to make Formula 1 return with AlphaTauri
Daniel Ricciardo is currently serving as a Red Bull reserve driver but the official confirmation regarding his move to a regular seat at AlphaTauri might come soon.
Follow Us
As the summer break for this year’s Formula One season looms nearer, there is one driver whom the fans might have to bid farewell to quite soon. As it appears, the Red Bull executives are allegedly pondering over relieving newly recruited Nyck deVries from his position as a regular driver for their sister team AlphaTauri. Further reports have also indicated that in the Dutchman’s place, fans might find Daniel Ricciardo making a shocking comeback to the tracks as he would be promoted from his reserve driver role for Red Bull Racing.
Max Verstappen’s close friend from the same country, Nyck deVries, came to Formula 1 with a promise of helping AlphaTauri improve by leaps and bounds. The former Formula E Champion has extensive experience under his belt, and he impressed Dr. Helmut Marko with his drive for Williams at last year’s Monaco Grand Prix. When Pierre Gasly decided to shift to Alpine for a stint as Esteban Ocon’s partner, Marko summoned deVries to replace Gasly at AlphaTauri.
But as the situation looks right now, Nyck deVries could not deliver as was expected of him. With 10 races having already been held in 2023, he is currently at the pit-bottom of the grid, even behind Williams’ Logan Sargeant. This has reportedly prompted the authorities at Red Bull and AlphaTauri headquarters to consider pulling another stunt like they did with Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat years ago by demoting Nyck deVries mid-season.
Related: Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur voices frustration with underwhelming SF-23 upgrades
Helmut Marko had previously admitted to giving Nyck deVries an ultimatum
Nyck deVries already had the axe hanging above his head for some time as Helmut Marko was scrutinizing his performance in the races from afar. Before the Imola Grand Prix, the Red Bull advisor had said he gave deVries an ultimatum. Marko’s condition was that, if Nyck failed to improve his drive and score points in the three races at Imola, Monaco, and Spain, he would be relieved of his duties from AlphaTauri. The race in Imola was cancelled, and he failed to score points at the other two Grands Prix.
As far as Nyck deVries’ latest stint for AlphaTauri goes, he could only score a 17th spot finish at Silverstone during the British GP. All these point towards the undeniable fact that Daniel Ricciardo is set to make his Formula 1 comeback soon with Red Bull’s sister team. And this could be a giant step for the Australian towards securing the second seat at the current Championship-winning team should the authorities deem his performance better than Sergio Perez’s.
In case you missed it:
Stay Updated!
Riddhi Mondal
(1821 Articles Published)