Ricciardo wants to help AlphaTauri up: ‘Is a great opportunity for me’ | formula 1

21 July 2023 at 05:18

Daniel Ricciardo has found his love for Formula 1 again. The cheerful Australian will make his comeback in the royal class this weekend in Hungary as a replacement for Nyck de Vries, who was fired by AlphaTauri.

Rarely has the joint motorhome of Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri been filled with so many journalists as on Thursday during Ricciardo’s first press moment as an AlphaTauri driver. With his trademark grin, he worked his way through the crowd to the corner of the motorhome where a table was waiting for him.

“Wow, what a lot of people”, were Ricciardo’s first words. “And now I have only returned. How busy will it be when I become world champion?”

The 34-year-old Ricciardo stood on the sidelines for six months. For those who know him and heard him talk on Thursday, it seemed as if he had never been away. Ricciardo was in a good mood, cracking jokes and, above all, said he couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel again.

A week ago, Ricciardo convinced the Red Bull Racing leadership to use him immediately as a replacement for De Vries. After eleven test rounds at Silverstone, Red Bull CEO Helmut Marko had seen enough: Ricciardo was competitive and was allowed to get in immediately. Even waiting two races until the summer break was not necessary.

Daniel Ricciardo will make his Formula 1 return this weekend. Photo: Getty Images

Ricciardo does not want to go along with the pessimism surrounding AlphaTauri

Although he was already active as a test driver at Red Bull last year, that announcement changed everything for Ricciardo. “When I got into the car, I didn’t think about it at all. I just wanted to have fun and have fun. The times turned out to be good and I was competitive. Then I was a full race driver again.”

Having fun and having fun is exactly what Ricciardo wants to do for the rest of this season. That could be quite difficult, as he drives one of the slowest cars in the field. “I’ve already set myself up for that,” said Ricciardo.

“It won’t go as fast as the car I drove last week. But I’m going to make the best of it. I drove this car on the simulator and then it all felt okay.”

Although there is plenty to criticize about AlphaTauri – the team is last in the constructors’ championship – Ricciardo “refuses to go along with the pessimism”. “Because there’s no need for that. It’s just a car that I have to work with and for me it’s a great opportunity to be active in the highest level of motorsport again.”

Timetable GP Hungary

Friday, July 21, 1:30-2:30 p.m: First free practice
Friday 21 July 5-6 pm: Second free practice
Saturday 22 July 12.30-1.30 pm: Third free practice
Saturday 22 July 4-5 pm: Qualification
Sunday, July 23, 3:00 PM: Race

‘Red Bull still feels familiar’

Ricciardo, who was under contract with McLaren for the last two seasons, returned to Red Bull as a test driver at the beginning of this year. The driver from Perth was part of the talent program of the energy drink manufacturer. In 2012 and 2013 he had his breakthrough at Toro Rosso, the current AlphaTauri and in 2014 he moved to the big Red Bull Racing where he succeeded his compatriot Mark Webber.

“It still feels very familiar here, but I haven’t been away for very long,” said Ricciardo, who exchanged Red Bull for Renault after 2018.

“Now that I’m back in the Red Bull family all evokes old feelings. Red Bull has been a very important part of my life. I didn’t expect to be in the car in Budapest, but I tried to be ready and fit all the time. That I could step in if the team needed me. I’m going to do my very best.”

With Ricciardo, the first free practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix starts on Friday at 13.30. Qualifying is on Saturday at 4 p.m. and the race starts at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

2023-07-21 03:18:58
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