Daniel Ricciardo is returning to the grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix after AlphaTauri ruthlessly axed Nyck de Vries to bring the Australian back for a second spell with the Italian-based team. And there won’t be many more people pleased to see the Honey Badger return than his Red Bull colleague Max Verstappen, who may relish the challenge of racing alongside him next year if things go to plan.
Ricciardo will return to the grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix after being loaned to AlphaTauri, the team where he started out in F1 back in 2010, to replace Nyck de Vries. And it could represent the platform he needs to find his way back to Red Bull after five years away.
The Australian has won eight races in his career and seven those came during his five years at Red Bull when the Austrian manufacturer were forced to bide their time while Mercedes dominated the sport. Back then, it was a close battle between the pair, with Ricciardo and Verstappen winning three races each while they were team-mates.
It was his decision to leave for Renault for the 2019 season that stunned the sport as it became apparent Christian Horner was backing Verstappen to lead the team for years to come. That has proved to be the case with the Dutchman now up to 43 race wins, while Ricciardo struggled in the midfield with Renault and McLaren, no longer competing at the front.
His time at McLaren ended on a disappointing note in 2022 after falling way short of expectations, while his team-mate Lando Norris excelled as the team’s lead driver. And it was no surprise when Ricciardo was replaced by his compatriot Oscar Piastri for 2023, even if the manner of forcing him out was unorthodox.
Still, his race victory at Monza in 2021 proved he had the pace and ability to get onto the podium, and it was clear to the driver that he could still win races and maybe championships in the right car.
“Give me a winning car, and I’ll win,” he previously told Sky Sports F1. “I don’t feel I’ve ever left a win on the table. But that’s the challenge that lies ahead of us, with myself and with the team at McLaren.
“It’s like, ‘let’s figure this out, I’m wanting to take on this challenge with you. Let’s figure it out. Because you’ve given me this and I will give you this’.
It has worked out well for the 33-year-old since leaving McLaren. He might have expected to join Red Bull as a reserve with a view to rejoining the grid elsewhere in 2024, to ensure he wasn’t forgotten by the 10 F1 teams.
Yet, there is now a reasonable chance he could replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull if the Mexican continues his poor form on the track.
That could depend on whether he impresses with AlphaTauri, who have struggled for pace this year and have been one of the backmarkers along with Williams and Alfa Romeo. De Vries failed to score a single point in his 10 races with the team, while Yuki Tsunoda is 17th in the Drivers’ Championship standings with only two points.
But if Ricciardo makes a good enough impression, he will be in the running to climb into the ‘winning car’ he has been waiting patiently for. Indeed, it was reported that his test lap in the RB19 would have been good enough to put him on the front for the British Grand Prix after an impressive testing session with Red Bull for Pirelli.
The remaining 13 races this season offer a chance for Ricciardo to prove to Horner he is worth taking a gamble on. Verstappen has won five straight races and finished at least second in every race this season as he looks set to wrap up his third title.
But even the Dutchman requires some stimulating competition to keep him hungry. After declaring his intention to join a team capable of winning races, Ricciardo could be that friendly rival Verstappen needs to keep him on his toes for 2024 – and help the team continue their domination at the front over Mercedes and Ferrari.
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