Ricciardo “not scared” of unlikely AlphaTauri return

Daniel Ricciardo has seen it all during his roller-coaster 12-year journey in Formula 1, which is why he is “not scared” and “ready to embrace” his AlphaTauri comeback.

After his tough McLaren stint did not go to plan and finished abruptly, this year Ricciardo suddenly found himself off the Formula 1 grid for the first time since 2011.

But the “Honey Badger” is back and only missed 10 races when he spent time on the sidelines and getting the hunger back as Red Bull’s third driver.

Ricciardo will make an unexpected return to the pinnacle of motorsport at one of his favourite tracks, the Hungaroring where he famously won in 2014 and also collected podiums in 15 and 16.

Daniel Ricciardo prepares to drive the RB19 at a Silverstone tyre test on Tuesday. Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

The #3 return has arrived at the expense of Nyck de Vries, who was dumped by Red Bull after an underwhelming rookie season.

A decade after leaving Toro Rosso to graduate to Red Bull, Ricciardo is back at the junior team and ready for whatever comes his way.

Whilst not being unfamiliar to getting thrown into a battling team mid season having done so at HRT in his rookie year 2011, the eight-time Grand Prix winner is well aware of the challenge ahead.

In his first interview since the big news with Formula 1’s Lawrence Barretto, Ricciardo could not hide his excitement with his trademark smile ever-present through the 15-minute video.

“It is great. I enjoyed the last six months off and it was really good for me, but the more races I attended and the more sim sessions I did the bug came back,” he said.

Daniel Ricciardo will drive the AT04 racing for AlphaTauri in Hungary Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images

“Im excited about it. I think it is a challenge for sure to jump in and hit the ground running.

“But I have also been through a lot in the last few years, so I am not really scared of anything that will be thrown my way.

“It won’t be as crazy as my debut when I started halfway through a season with a team I had never met before!

“Going back to the Red Bull family and now returning to AlphaTauri is very full circle. 

“It is all part of the path and I am ready to embrace it. I don’t know if I would have it any other way.”

Parachuting back into Formula 1 in the middle of the year is a challenge in the best of circumstances, but Ricciardo finds himself at a struggling team.

When he was last at AlphaTauri in 2013 when it was under the Toro Rosso name and fighting Jean-Eric Vergne for a Red Bull seat, points were always realistic.

Daniel Ricciardo leads McLaren’s Sergio Perez at Monza during his final year at Toro Rosso in 2013.

The Australian registered seven top-10 finishes across the season which paved the way for his promotion to replace Sebastian Vettel the following season.

However, it is a different story in 2023 with AlphaTauri last in the constructors championship and Yuki Tsunoda clinging onto points just twice.

Ricciardo is well aware of the situation, which is why he is not heading to Budapest with any clear goals.

“I am not setting anything. The car will be what it is, I will drive it and will go from there,” he said.

“The car will have its limitations and they are probably lacking some overall downforce and things like that, but if it feels balanced then that is something I can work with.

“I am looking forward to developing the car but in Budapest I just want to have fun.”

Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren stint was filled with pain, pictured here is his crash at Brazil in 2022 with Kevin Magnussen. Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images

Whilst it may have been shorter than first anticipated, the road back to the Formula 1 grid has not been an easy one for Ricciardo.

He left at his lowest ebb, after being forced to leave McLaren with a year still left on his contract having being convincingly beaten by younger teammate Lando Norris across two challenging years despite a famous win at Monza.

It left many wondering if that was going to be the sad end to Ricciardo’s Formula 1 career and he even had those thoughts himself about whether or not he had the desire to come back.

Daniel Ricciardo on the pit wall during Friday practice at the Australian Grand Prix, Photo by Mark Sutton / Sutton Images

However, a combination of a warm Red Bull reunion, spending time both away from the track and at it as the championship leader’s third driver, plus sessions in the sim relit the fire inside the “Honey Badger”.

Ricciardo said of all places, attending the Super Bowl in America got his competitive juices flowing, while witnessing the exhilarating Monaco Grand Prix qualifying session made him yearn to race F1 again.

“Falling out of love with it took a hit out of my confidence and if you are competing in a sport where you are trying to be the best in the world at something you need full confidence and belief in yourself,” he reflected.

“The reception I had coming back into the Red Bull team in a positive way was a little bit overwhelming.

Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo having fun at a Red Bull event in Miami. Image: Garth Milan / Red Bull Content Pool

“(But) I wanted the inner motivation to come back because I was still trying to find answers if that fire was slowly burning away.

“Then one day you wake up it is go time and after a couple of months off I thought ‘it is time to build this back up’.

“Around the time I went to the Super Bowl is when the feeling of being in a competitive environment again came back.

“The first race I attended was Melbourne because I was in an awesome environment and seeing all the drivers get out of the pits I was like ‘I miss that feeling’ but deep down I was letting it build up and was not foaming at the mouth.

Daniel Ricciardo returns to AlphaTauri in similar circumstances to his debut in 2011 at Silverstone where he replaced Narain Karthikeyan at HRT. Image: Charles Coates/LAT Photographic

“But in Monaco was where I really started to think being in a car around here would be a lot of fun.

“Getting back in the sim I was unsure how it was going to go if I would be used to it or be like the old me, but after a few sessions I felt like myself again and fell back in love.”

Ricciardo’s return made headlines around the world on the same day he jumped back in a F1 car driving the all-conquering RB19 on a tyre test where he admitted he ‘this is fast’ on his first lap.

Like de Vries has recently leant, Ricciardo knows the pressures of occupying one of the four coveted Red Bull backed seats on the F1 grid.

However, he admitted there are no clear expectations until the summer break, which gives the Aussie two races to get his feet on the ground.

“There is no pressure before the summer break,” Ricciardo revealed.

Daniel Ricciardo will make his comeback at the same track where he scored a famous win in 2014. Image: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Photographic

“They expect results, but until I get in the car it is hard to define.

“It feels the same as when I was in the Red Bull family at the start, if you get results, they will keep pushing you.

“But I don’t expect to have a slow start and will put what I have leant to good use.”

In just seven days Ricciardo will be lining up on the grid again ready to start his 233rd Grand Prix at Hungary.

Main photo by AlphaTauri

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