Daniel Ricciardo didn’t think he would return to F1 so quickly

After 12 consecutive seasons in Formula 1, Daniel Ricciardo was not at the starting line of the 2023 season. The Australian had been fired from the McLaren team in favor of his compatriot Oscar Piastri. In his two seasons with McLaren, Ricciardo did not live up to his status as an eight-time Grand Prix winner. His only achievement was his victory at Monza in 2021, his first since the Monaco Grand Prix in 2018, which was also the first victory for the British team since Brazil 2012.

Daniel Ricciardo had several options to stay in F1 in 2023. Günther Steiner, the boss of the Haas team, had stated that if the Australian wanted to join the American team, they would want him. But the number 3 driver declined the offer and on the evening of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2022, the paddock wondered if the Australian would ever return to F1. He had to settle for being picked up by Red Bull to be their third driver.

The flop replacement of Nyck de Vries

During the 2022 season, AlphaTauri announces that Pierre Gasly will leave the team the following year to join Alpine. The Italian team has decided to promote Nyck de Vries, the 2021 Formula E World Champion and Mercedes reserve driver, for the 2023 season.

But the Dutchman’s adventure in Red Bull’s B team turned into a fiasco. He was beaten by his teammate Yuki Tsunoda and didn’t score any points, while the Japanese driver secured three. After just ten Grand Prix races, he was sidelined and Daniel Ricciardo was chosen to replace him starting from Hungary.

If he had initially planned to take a sabbatical year, Daniel Ricciardo is very happy to have found a seat in F1 so quickly. « Sitting here a year ago, I wondered if this could be my last race? I am not exaggerating when I say that. I really didn’t know. Honestly, I thought it was 50/50. So, to have the year that I had and to forget about the hand injury. I feel like I’m being reborn a little. I feel rejuvenated and definitely have a second wind », rejoices Daniel Ricciardo on the day after the Abu Dhabi GP.

« If I hadn’t run at all this year, if I had had 12 months of rest, I think it wouldn’t have been a problem. Because simply having free time has been very, very beneficial for me and has brought me a lot. Fortunately, I found enough of it during these six months. If you had asked me in January: Okay, are you going to join AlphaTauri in Budapest? How do you feel? I would have said: well, I’m probably not ready, I need more time. But at that time, it was much more logical », explains the Australian.

« Driving cars is fun again, even if I qualify 14th or something like that, it’s still enjoyable. I really wanted to take a step back with some free time. It’s not like my enjoyment in the sport shouldn’t be based on the results, but it’s not just about winning every time. I think that’s where I’ve reached a kind of place where I was completely happy and comfortable, at that moment, driving for the team in 10th place on the grid. Last year, I said I didn’t want to get back in a car if it was fighting at the back, but that slowly started to make more and more sense », concludes the AlphaTauri driver.