Red Bull Racing is loaning Daniel Ricciardo to AlphaTauri for the remainder of the 2023 Formula 1 season. Ricciardo will be replacing Dutch driver Nyck De Vries, following reports that Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has been unhappy with De Vries’ performance. Ricciardo will join fellow AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda and make his return to the F1 starting grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix in two weeks.
AlphaTauri is essentially Red Bull Racing’s B-team, so it makes a lot of sense for Ricciardo—currently Red Bull’s third driver behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez—to swap over.
“It is great to see Daniel hasn’t lost any form while away from racing and that the strides he has been making in his sim sessions translate on track,” said Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner. “His times during the tire test were extremely competitive. It was a very impressive drive and we are excited to see what the rest of the season brings for Daniel on loan at Scuderia AlphaTauri.”
Ricciardo hasn’t raced in a single grand prix this season, after leaving McLaren to join Red Bull at the end of the 2022 season. He seems happy to be back, exclaiming in the team’s press release, “I am stoked to be back on track with the Red Bull family!”
De Vries, the rookie who started 2023 as one of AlphaTauri’s main drivers, is one of only two pilots to not score any points this season alongside fellow rookie Logan Sargeant from Williams. De Vries is a former Formula 2 and Formula E champion but struggled this season compared to his teammate Tsunoda. AlphaTauri is also dead last in points in the constructor’s standings, with only two, so the team is hoping that the 34-year-old veteran Ricciardo can help pump some life back into things.
This also means Ricciardo likely won’t be hosting any F1 broadcasts with Will Arnett anymore.
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