Daniel Ricciardo will make a surprise surprise return to Formula 1 in the season with AlphaTauri from the Hungarian Grand Prix next week, replacing the ousted Nyck de Vries.
Earlier on Tuesday, it emerged that De Vries had been sacked after just 10 races after a disappointing start to his F1 career with the Italian team.
AlphaTauri has now confirmed De Vries’ exit and announced that Red Bull third driver Ricciardo will take over the Dutchman’s seat for the remainder of the 2023 season.
“Scuderia Alpha Tauri announces that Daniel Ricciardo will join the team on loan from Red Bull Racing for the remainder of the Formula 1 season, starting with the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix,” the team said in a statement.
“I am very happy to welcome Daniel back to the team,” added team principal Franz Tost. “There is no doubt about his driving skills, and he already knows many of us, so his integration will be easy and straightforward. The team will also benefit a lot from his experience, as he is an eight-time Formula 1 winner.
“I would like to thank Nyck for his valuable contribution during his time with Scuderia AlphaTauri and wish him all the best for the future.”
Nick de Vries, AlphaTauri AT04
Photography: Eric Junius
Ricciardo has returned to the Red Bull family as a third driver after losing his drive to McLaren at the end of last year, one year before the end of his contract.
The 34-year-old Australian chose time off to recharge after a long stint with the Woking team, but he remained race-ready and completed his first test with his current Red Bull RB19 on Tuesday.
Ricciardo has now got 12 races in AlphaTauri to prove to Red Bull that he has managed to rebuild himself after his 2022 exit, perhaps with a view to challenging Sergio Perez for the Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen.
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner commented: “It is great to see that Daniel hasn’t lost any form while away from racing and that the strides he made in his simulation sessions are translating on the track.
“His times during tire testing were very competitive. It was a very impressive drive and we’re excited to see what the rest of the season brings for Daniel on loan at Scuderia AlphaTauri.”
Ricciardo previously drove for AlphaTauri in his Toro Rosso guise in 2012 and 2013 before earning promotion to the main Red Bull team.
The Australian took seven of his eight F1 wins for Red Bull alongside Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen, before moving to Renault and then McLaren.
Alongside fellow rookie Logan Sargeant, de Vries was the only points-scoring driver in 2023 as he struggled for pace compared to teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
He was not helped by AlphaTauri’s poor performance with the AT04 for the season, which left the team last in the Constructors’ Championship after 10 races with just two points.
But Red Bull – and especially driver advisor Helmut Marko – has had little patience with the former F2 and FE champion, and after just 10 races he has now moved in to replace him.