In Formula 1, Daniel Ricciardo had a tough year. Beginning as Red Bull’s backup driver, the Australian took Nyck de Vries’ seat at AlphaTauri over the summer, broke his wrist, and then made a comeback. The final objective? to reclaim his Red Bull spot, but Ricciardo claims that AlphaTauri is a good fit for him.
The final chapter of Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 career appeared to be written before the end of 2022.
Despite winning the 2021 Italian Grand Prix and giving McLaren its first victory since Brazil 2012, his subsequent season was lackluster and tainted by poor performances.
An opportunity came up when Nyck de Vries likewise fell short of his promise after being signed by his former squad, Red Bull.
The 2020–21 Formula E World Champion found it difficult to adjust to the challenging AT04, and before the halfway point of the season, the team had kicked him off, allowing Ricciardo to return to the racetrack.
Nevertheless, Ricciardo’s comeback was cut short after just two weekends due to a fractured hand he incurred in a practice incident during the Dutch Grand Prix. He missed five races before making his comeback in the United States, albeit he still displayed class in Mexico.
It was a strong showing, with Ricciardo making it clear that his sights are on Sergio Perez’s job at Red Bull for 2025 while simultaneously asserting that he is in Perez’s place at Alpha Tauri. Ricciardo finished seventh in the race and fourth in qualifying.
“I knew with everything that has happened in the last 12 months that I had to take a step back to take two steps forward,” Ricciardo stated.
“That’s not meant as a slight on AlphaTauri. I had to reset at some point, and I think that being here [as a member of this team] is a lot more fun than I had anticipated.
“Even for me, I’m on a squad where I get to simply keep getting better and regaining my confidence. We are moving away from being a junior team and want to compete at the front of the midfield, therefore they have great plans for next year.”
