Daniel Ricciardo Makes Surprise F1 Return

Following an impressive Pirelli tire test at Silverstone, driving Red Bull’s RB19, news has spread that fan-favorite F1 racer Daniel Ricciardo will soon be back in the driver’s seat and subsequently back on the grid.

Ricciardo will step in to replace Nyck de Vries at Red Bull’s AlphaTauri team for the rest of the current season, with his first race set to be the Hungarian Grand Prix in less than two weeks. The location makes for an interesting return as it’s the same venue he scored his second-ever F1 victory in 2014.

While the former McLaren racer expressed there was “unfinished business” in an interview with ESPN, he didn’t expect to get back on the grid until next year — however, in more recent comments Ricciardo shared “I am stoked to be back on track with the Red Bull family!”

Franz Tost, the Team Principal for AlphaTauri echoed this sentiment, stating “I’m very pleased to welcome Daniel back into the team. There’s 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 profit a lot from his experience, as he is an eight-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner.”

See shots from Ricciardo’s Pirelli tire test at Silverstone in the post by Red Bull Racing below.

Almost done, Silverstone 🍯🦡

We’ve got Daniel driving the RB19 as part of a @pirellisport tyre test 📈 pic.twitter.com/i4n1SELiIK

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) July 11, 2023

In other F1 news, new Bell & Ross watch named after Alpine’s 2023 car.