At the Hungarian Grand Prix (July 23), Nyck de Vries will not be driving the AlphaTauri, but eight-time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo. A driver change that caused a stir in Formula 1. F1 expert Martin Brundle is now speculating about the motives.
“I’m really excited about his return, but my honest reaction was, ‘Wow, is Daniel really doing this?’ It surprised me,” Brundle told English broadcaster Sky Sports.
Ricciardo’s contract with McLaren was terminated last season, but a cockpit at another racing team in the premier class was not free. Only way out: The Australian returned to Red Bull, where he acted as a reserve driver behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez.
Brundle speculated that Ricciardo’s decision to get into the car for AlphaTauri could possibly be related to a secret agreement. “Daniel kept saying he lost his ‘mojo’ and needed to get his enthusiasm back, so I didn’t think he would take that unless there was another deal that came with it,” Sky said “-Expert.
Because: Although he has finally been offered a cockpit after several months of abstinence, the 34-year-old is taking a “high risk” because he has little chance of winning world championship points in the defeated AlphaTauri.
Ricciardo must beat Tsunoda
After the announcement, Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez quickly came into focus, as the Mexican recently weakened in a direct duel with two-time world champion Max Verstappen. Quite a few experts see the decision by Red Bull boss Helmut Marko to place Daniel Ricciardo with the sister team as an indirect announcement to Sergio Pérez. His contract with the Red Bulls is valid until 2024.
One thing is clear: If Ricciardo is convincing at AlphaTauri in the coming races, his chances of a cockpit in the 2024 Formula 1 season should certainly increase further.
According to Brundle, Ricciardo’s “absolute” goal must now be to beat his new team-mate Yuki Tsunoda in a direct duel: “He has to beat him in qualifying, that’s what is expected of him.”