Daniel Ricciardo returns to Formula One with AlphaTauri

Former Red Bull, McLaren and Renault driver—and Red Bull’s current third driver—Daniel Ricciardo has been announced as AlphaTauri’s second driver, replacing Nyck de Vries with immediate effect. Ricciardo will replace the Dutchman for the rest of the season and is officially “on loan” from Red Bull Racing.

De Vries made his full-time debut this season after a stellar one-off showing last season at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, where he finished a stunning ninth on debut for Williams, standing in for Alex Albon. De Vries was signed by AlphaTauri to replace Pierre Gasly for the 2023 season, but a poor start to the season and no points scored ten rounds in has shown the Dutch driver the exit door midway through his first full F1 season.

Ricciardo’s first race for AlphaTauri will be at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Ricciardo returns to the Red Bull setup for the first time since 2018, returning to the team he made his full-season debut with back in 2012. He has had stints with HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing, Renault and McLaren.

After leaving the senior Red Bull team in 2018, Ricciardo had mixed results with Renault, and two poor seasons with McLaren in 2021 and 2022 left him without a seat for 2023. He was signed by Red Bull as their third and reserve driver, but De Vries’ poor form has made the Red Bull management decide to go back to the experienced Ricciardo to partner Yuki Tsunoda.

Franz Tost, Scuderia AlphaTauri Team Principal, commented:

“I’m very pleased to welcome Daniel back into the team. There’s no doubt about his driving skill, and he already knows many of us, so his integration will be easy and straight-forward. The team will also profit a lot from his experience, as he is an eight-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner. I would like to thank Nyck for his valuable contribution during his time with Scuderia AlphaTauri, and I wish him all the best for the future.“

Daniel Ricciardo added:

“I’m stoked to be back on track with the Red Bull family!”

AlphaTauri’s poor season sees them currently lie last in the Constructors’ Standings with only two points, which Tsunoda has scored. 

This, though, isn’t the first time that a driver has been changed mid-season in the Red Bull camp, with the senior team having replaced the likes of Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly midway through seasons in the past.