Daniel Ricciardo returns to F1 with an eye on a Red Bull drive

Daniel Ricciardo’s reincarnation as a Formula 1 driver has taken an important step forward, with the Western Australian announced as a mid-season replacement for the struggling Dutchman debutante Nyck de Vries at Red Bull’s satellite team AlphaTauri.

He’ll make his return at the next round of the championship in Hungary on July 22, where he claimed his second-ever win in – ironically – a Red Bull in 2014.

It’s a homecoming of sorts for Ricciardo, who raced for the Italian-based team when it was known as Toro Rosso back in 2012/13.

The F1 call-up comes at a crucial time for the 34-year-old, as well. He’s made no secret of the fact that he wants to return to top-flight competition after being unceremoniously dumped by McLaren for rising star and fellow Aussie Oscar Piastri for 2023.

After accepting a US$20 million golden parachute from McLaren, Ricciardo joined Red Bull for this season as reserve driver, turning his first laps of the season in Max Verstappen’s car the day after the British Grand Prix as part of a Pirelli tyre test.

The axe swung quickly at AlphaTauri for the likable de Vries, who hasn’t been able to replicate the form that saw him bag a ninth place in his first grand prix last year as a substitute driver at Williams.

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After ten races, the young Dutchman hasn’t scored a single point – though it has to be said that his more experienced teammate, Japan’s Yuki Sonoda, has only scored two for the underperforming team.

"I’m very pleased to welcome Daniel back into the team,” said AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost.

“There’s no doubt about his driving skills, and he already knows many of us, so his integration will be easy and straightforward."

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Why has Daniel Ricciardo joined AlphaTauri?

Simple; he wants a shot at a Red Bull seat in 2024.

There are signs of unrest in the Red Bull camp, despite its all-conquering run of race wins this year and 11 on the trot for the team.

Mexico’s Sergio Perez has won two races to Verstappen’s seven, but some rancour at Austria in particular, where the two clashed on track in the sprint race, points to an unhappy team dynamic.

The team’s championship is just as crucial to Red Bull as the driver’s title, and it’s clear to all that there’s trouble in the henhouse.

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If Perez is walked at the end of the year, though, isn’t Ricciardo jumping right back into the conflagration that he left behind when he joined Renault in 2019?

In short, absolutely. Like him or loathe him, Verstappen is in the form of his life, and the team isn’t about to upset that momentum.

However, Ricciardo is in a different place these days, and the easy rapport between he and Verstappen at present is genuine, despite the friction felt only four years ago.

And if he can wind out of a stellar F1 career in the best car on the grid and the chance of the odd win when Verstappen stumbles, why the hell not?

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You can't doubt Danny's popularity, overnight Formula 1's Instagram account has made 10 posts about his new seat!

Ricciardo told US magazine The Athletic [↗] recently that the feeling of a comeback is “brewing” inside him.

“I’m trying to put myself in the mindset of, if I was competing, how would I feel? Where’s my energy at?” he said. “I want all those answers now so I can get into next year with a clear plan.

“I’m glad I’m not foaming at the mouth (at not being on the grid), because then I’d probably be questioning ‘shit, should I have taken the year off?’

“But it is brewing.”

It’s certainly the last chance corral for Ricciardo, and there’s no guarantee he’ll make the leap back into the Red Bull squad; despite the presence of the all-dominating Verstappen, the second Red Bull seat is one of the most coveted on the grid.