Following a challenging period at AlphaTauri, Red Bull has made the decision to replace Dutch driver Nyck de Vries and bring in Daniel Ricciardo as his successor. Ricciardo, who previously drove for Red Bull from 2014 to 2018 and raced for Toro Rosso (now known as AlphaTauri) before that, will be returning to the team. After his stints with Renault and McLaren, Ricciardo's contract was terminated due to underperformance at McLaren, leading Red Bull to sign him as a reserve driver for the 2023 season.
The departure of De Vries from AlphaTauri has been anticipated for some time, given his significant struggles and the repeated public criticisms voiced by Red Bull's motorsport boss, Helmut Marko.
Marko acknowledged doubts about whether or not De Vries was suitable for Red Bull's F1 program, as stated last month. De Vries, a former Formula 2 and Formula E champion, secured a contract for the season following his remarkable F1 debut for Williams at the Italian Grand Prix last year. Filling in for the unwell Alex Albon, De Vries scored points and left a strong impression However, De Vries has been unable to replicate that level of performance.
‘Fairytale’ return to Red Bull for Riccardo
This decision brings Ricciardo back to the team he previously raced for in 2012 and 2013, when it operated under the name Toro Rosso. The eight-time champion regards a move back to Red Bull as a “fairytale” end to his impressive career.
The news of the switch came on Tuesday following a tyre test Ricciardo participated in at Silverstone. “I’m very pleased to welcome Daniel back into the team,” said Franz Tost, Scuderia AlphaTauri Team Principal.
Fans have been flooding social media after the news of the return of Ricciardo. While many fans were upset that AlphaTauri had replaced de Vries so quickly, a few others couldn’t control as they went on to show their excitement to see the Australian driver back on the racing track.
Check out the reactions here:
Others were optimistic about the swap and were interested to see how Ricciardo would fare.