At the Hungarian Grand Prix, many eyes were on Daniel Ricciardo, as the Australian had just snatched the cockpit from Nyck de Vries at Red Bull sister stable AlphaTauri just a few days earlier. After a successful performance, RB boss Helmut Marko now saw himself confirmed.
With the decision to swap Daniel Ricciardo for Nyck de Vries, Helmut Marko caused a real quake among the drivers. Although there were signs that the Dutchman would be out of action, quite a few in the paddock were of the opinion that the change came too soon. Even AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda had expressed slight criticism and argued that the F1 rookie should have been given more chances.
Shortly before the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Japanese had argued that many of the tracks were completely new to his team-mate. In Budapest, Yuki Tsunoda drove for the first time alongside Daniel Ricciardo, previously a reserve driver at Red Bull.
Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko, who was responsible for the swap, should have felt confirmed after the race: The experienced Ricciardo, eight-time Grand Prix winner in the premier class, finished 13th, the 23-year-old Tsunoda finished two places behind in 15th.
Marko praises: “The change worked out perfectly”
“It was a very confident and mature performance. He lost three or four places due to the collision after the start,” Marko analyzed Ricciardo’s first appearance in a race for AlphaTauri on “Sky”: “The 13th place is okay. But it’s also the positive momentum that he brought to the team and a stabilization of the technical statements and changes – the change worked out perfectly.”
In any case, the 80-year-old could be very satisfied with the race weekend, as Max Verstappen (first) and Sergio Pérez (third) were again two Red Bull drivers on the podium. While Verstappen convinced in almost the usual manner, the performance of the last counted Mexican gave reason to celebrate.
“He drove a very good race with some tough manoeuvres. He was unlucky when lapping that he strayed from the ideal line and tore the rubber rollers – they are no longer off the tire and so he was no longer able to attack Norris properly,” explained Marko and praised: “He is a very good racer and after ninth place in qualifying that was a very good improvement.”