Red Bull initially opposed Daniel Ricciardo’s mid-season move to AlphaTauri

Daniel Ricciardo replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri midway through the 2023 season.

Red Bull initially opposed Daniel Ricciardo’s mid-season move to AlphaTauri

Christian Horner and Daniel Ricciardo (Via IMAGO)

Daniel Ricciardo made a surprise return to the F1 grid with AlphaTauri mid-way through 2023. The Australian driver had moved to the sidelines as a Red Bull reserve after leaving McLaren at the end of 2022. However, the Red Bull sister team managed to bring back Ricciardo in place of Nyck de Vries. Now, AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer revealed that Milton Keynes had opposed this move at first.

Nyck de Vries was struggling in his rookie season at AlphaTauri. The Dutch driver failed to match the expectations of the team. Subsequently, the Faenza-based team considered Daniel Ricciardo as the ideal replacement. However, Bayer claimed that Red Bull initially was against this move. Milton Keynes was adamant about keeping the Australian driver as its reserve for 2023.

Originally we were told: No, Daniel is a reserve driver at Red Bull and that's how it will stay.
Peter Bayer told Motorsport-Magazin
YouTube video

Peter Bayer mentioned that the Faenza-based team kept asking Red Bull about Daniel Ricciardo’s current situation. Finally, Christian Horner told AlphaTauri that the Australian driver would be testing the Red Bull RB-19 at Silverstone. Moreover, even Red Bull Motorsport Consultant Dr. Helmut Marko was ready to consider such a possibility.

FS Video
At some point, Christian Horner came to us and said: We're doing the test at Silverstone, maybe we'll have a look at it. Then Helmut [Marko] said: Yes, why not?

Ultimately, Ricciardo managed to deliver some impressive timings during the test. Helmut Marko decided to replace de Vries with the Australian driver just hours after his outing in RB-19.

Daniel Ricciardo eyes a Red Bull return for 2025

The Australian driver left Red Bull at the end of 2018. The 34-year-old spent two years each at Renault and McLaren before becoming a reserve driver for Milton Keynes. Daniel Ricciardo has delivered some impressive results since he returned to AlphaTauri mid-season with his feedback being crucial for the Faenza-based team.

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen
Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO).

It is no surprise that Ricciardo aims to return to Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen. The Honey Badger would be looking to showcase his talent once again through his stint at AlphaTauri for an eventual promotion to Milton Keynes. Christian Horner has previously admitted that the Austrian team would consider its options for 2025.

Daniel Ricciardo will need to deliver on high expectations in the coming season. The Australian driver would need to outperform teammate Yuki Tsunoda to ensure that he stays in the fight for a seat at Milton Keynes. Certainly, the 34-year-old is highly motivated to prove his worth at the pinnacle of motorsport once again.

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