Daniel Ricciardo says regaining his seat at Red Bull would be a “dream” outcome from his return to Formula 1 with AlphaTauri.
However he is not setting any expectations ahead of his first race weekend back at AlphaTauri – Red Bull’s junior squad which he last raced for 10 years ago, when it was called Toro Rosso.Ricciardo left Red Bull at the end of 2018 to join Renault. Following a subsequent stint at McLaren, which was cut short as his performances fell short of expectations, he returned to Red Bull as a reserve and test driver.
Following a successful tyre test for Red Bull at Silverstone last week, Ricciardo has returned to a race seat in place of ousted AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said this week Ricciardo hopes to use his return to convince them to put him back in the top squad. Ricciardo said today that’s “the dream, so to speak.”
However he said he needs to focus on getting the most out of the car he has for the last 12 races of this year.
“There’s no point in me thinking about that in terms of there’s going to be a lot of work to do here,” he said in response to a question from RaceFans. “I think in terms of expectation, there is none.
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“It’s just, for me, everything I felt driving the car last week is how I want to go racing again. I just want to be in the moment, enjoying it, not thinking too far ahead.”
“If it’s something that I feel I can work with, then that’s all I need to feel good behind the wheel again and also, obviously, use some of my experience to push the team. So as far as this weekend goes if you say ‘where do you want to finish?’, I couldn’t tell you. I just want to know that I’ve put everything into it and done a lot that I’m proud of.”
After losing his drive at McLaren last year, Ricciardo said he only wanted to return to F1 with a top team. He explained what made him change his mind.
“Obviously I had enough time off to reset but also just kind of enjoy it again. I already felt that on the simulator so far this year. But then also that’s why I wanted to drive the car and really make sure that it’s still obviously truly what I love doing most.
“I was up to speed really quick and it felt so good again. Obviously tasting the Red Bull car got me pretty excited. I knew also everything that happened the last few years and getting back into the sport, taking some time off, I knew it would be very hard to go back at the top.
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“So of course that was my wish. But I think also you need to be realistic at some point and say ‘okay, if I want to get back to, say, a Red Bull seat, then it’s going to take a bit of a process and a path’. And this for me is the best path at the moment.”
“Six months ago I probably wasn’t in a place to jump at an opportunity like this, but that’s been the luxury of time now where I’ve just felt so much more like I guess I’ve fallen in love with it again,” he said. “I feel like I’d be myself again, probably back as well in an environment that just gives me a lot of nostalgia.
“I spent a lot of my career here and a lot of my journey and my junior days were here. Talking to Helmut [Marko, Red Bull motorsport consultant] again more regularly, it kind of feels like it’s where I belong. So when the opportunity came, I thought absolutely, let’s try and that’s that.”
Red Bull have Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez under contract for next season. The team have not set Ricciardo any targets to achieve in order to secure a return.
“I think already getting an opportunity is kind of another chance to make things better,” he said. “So I think that’s as well why I was excited to get back behind the wheel and just show my true self, and even kind of the thought of that excites me. Obviously the dream is a Red Bull seat, but there is no like ‘this is what you need to do’.
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“Everything’s happened so quick. Obviously the test was the first box I needed to tick, that was great. But now it’s like this is obviously another hurdle. You know what they’re like, they’re not like ‘take it easy’, they’re like ‘show us what you got’. But there’s no criteria.”
He described how Red Bull decided “pretty quickly” to offer him a drive at AlphaTauri after he began last week’s test at Silverstone, and not wait until the summer break in two race’s time to make the change.“I know being back in the family now how things can change quick,” said Ricciardo. “I always tried to stay as ready as possible, also in case obviously Max or Checo was unfit to drive, but you know at any time something can change.
“For sure, probably slightly more conventionally, it would be in the summer break. But we know Red Bull is a little unconventional which is totally fine.
“There was a little bit of chat over the [British Grand Prix] weekend but it was really just ‘wait and see how the test goes’ and see, obviously, how I feel, and we go from there. Obviously I felt really good in the car and it went well and then it was pretty much like ‘well, you look ready, so let’s do it’.”
Ricciardo spent several days in Red Bull’s simulator which he said gave Horner and Marko the confidence to put him in their car.
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“The sim had kept getting better and better, to a point where I think Christian and Helmut had got some belief in me again,” he explained. “The test was just that last probably box that needed to be ticked and to make sure that I could translate everything on track. So it was already off probably two runs there was some smiles in the garage and I think that was pretty much it.”
“It helps driving a good car because it gives you something to aim for in terms of development, set-up and where there is potential within these regulations,” he said. “But also, in saying that, I also need to erase a lot of that from my mind and just start fresh now with the AlphaTauri. This is it, this is what it is and we need to move forward from here.
“But I mean, the sim was good, but it was also important for me just to work with Pierre [Hamelin], who’ll be my engineer, just to make sure that we speak the same language, are on the same page, and we have that connection because that’s obviously really important as well.”
Ricciardo has not driven any racing cars during his seven months out of action, and only ridden dirt bikes. Despite that he is confident his fitness level will not compromise his performance.
“I was told I would do the test already a few months ago, so I knew I needed to prepare for the test. So I have been training, I’ve been keeping up.
“But the truth is if you don’t drive an F1 car for so long, you’re going to be sore. And for sure I was sore and stiff. This is already a physical track so if you see me sweating a lot on Sunday, don’t be surprised.
“But I feel, for someone that hasn’t driven for so long, I feel I’m in the best condition I can be and I’ll just suck it up a little bit the first few. I’m sure I’ll be a little bit sore but it’s nothing that’s concerning me moving forward to. If I’m fighting for points at the end of the race, I ain’t going to lose the points because of me being tired.”
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2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
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- How far can McLaren climb with car rivals now say is the second-fastest in F1?
- Why Ricciardo says McLaren’s car “speaks Lando’s language” – but Norris disagrees
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- Perez answered critics in Hungary but needs to qualify better – Horner
Edvaldo
20th July 2023, 12:41
so now he doesn’t even hide it anymore.
He WANTS Perez’s job.
tielemst
20th July 2023, 12:49
To be fair to him: he doesn’t have to hide it. It’s Marko and Horner who have to put up the smokescreens.
If he performs well in the AT (beats Yuki), the Daniel-Sergio switch will be made end of the season I guess.
MichaelN
20th July 2023, 12:50
Everyone wants Pérez’ car, though not necessarily his job. The problem for Ricciardo is that it’s been a very long time since he showed the speed and adaptability required to even be considered for a top team. But maybe he can find it, who knows.
cdfemke (@cdfemke)
20th July 2023, 14:32
In a not so dinstant past, he HAD Perez’ job. Thats the beauty of it all. I guess it took a while to get to grips with the possibility to accept a 2nd driver role
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
20th July 2023, 23:52
Indeed, I found it very silly, without any need for hindsight, to leave red bull and join a midfield team, I’d have only understood a mercedes or ferrari move at the time he did, with merc being the better choice, since they tend to have better in season development.
Francesco (@schivo69)
20th July 2023, 12:49
The same job he spectacularly left and fully documented on DTS.
MichaelN
20th July 2023, 12:57
The pretense that he could go toe to toe with Verstappen has long since been stripped away, so that would make things much easier in terms of the dynamic inside the team. If Ricciardo can find some of his old pace, which is still very much an open question, then he could be a consistent #2-driver. Which is more than can be said of Pérez.
SteveP
20th July 2023, 15:43
A really bad scenario for Daniel is that he might not exceed Tsunoda’s performance, the career nuking scenario is one no-one wants to consider is that he doesn’t match de Vries performance.
He knows there are limitations with the AT, he’s hoping the limitations are something he can master. I wish him well, but it may be a poisoned chalice.
Frank
20th July 2023, 16:31
The worst that can happen is that he has no seat next year, which is ecactly the position he was in.
He can only improve on that.
His reputation already is that of a driver in decline. Only the reputation of Tsunoda is at stake here. Maybe even the reputation of Norris. But Ric himself can only win here. .
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
20th July 2023, 23:55
Yes, agree, may be a poisoned chalice but he was already drinking the same liquid in some other way, as a f1 return looked unlikely otherwise.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
20th July 2023, 23:56
However I don’t think norris’ reputation is at risk, there’s no one who really thinks red bull ricciardo would’ve had that performance with mclaren, so even if ricciardo is still bad now it won’t make norris look any worse, because in that case it wouldn’t be the same ricciardo who drove for red bull.
Norris would have to lose against a proven midfield driver to ruin his reputation of top driver.
Electroball76
20th July 2023, 16:32
Dan is the Gigglechad
Wayne
21st July 2023, 8:45
I thought driving for mclaren was the dream??