Nyck de Vries is out, Danny Ric is back in.
Daniel Ricciardo is officially returning as a Formula 1 driver, taking over from Nyck de Vries, who appears to have been unceremoniously booted from the team. Scuderia AlphaTauri failed to explain de Vries' future with the team. Instead, it opted for a friendly post announcing the Honey Badger's return to the grid.
According to Scuderia AlphaTauri, Ricciardo is on loan from Red Bull Racing (RBR), where he's the unofficial public relations driver. RBR's team boss, Christian Horner, hired Ricciardo after his contract with McLaren expired. Horner has repeatedly said that Ricciardo needed to fall back in love with the sport.
The announcement comes on the day Ricciardo got his first taste of the Red Bull RB19 at a tire test at Silverstone following the 2023 British Grand Prix.
Nyck de Vries, who was expected to be the other Flying Dutchman on the grid, made a spectacular F1 debut at the Monza Grand Prix last year. He stood in for Alex Albon, who could not drive following a medical procedure. The 28-year-old dragged that Williams into ninth place, scoring points on his debut. That doesn't happen often. Not even with the mighty Max Verstappen.
Unfortunately, de Vries may have been a one-hit-wonder, as his full-time debut with Scuderia AlphaTauri has been less than stellar. He's one of only two drivers yet to score points this season but is officially in last place due to Logan Sargeant having a much better rookie year.
As we all know, the Red Bull racing machine can be quite harsh and has no issue with ejecting drivers mid-season. Just ask Pierre Gasly and the previously-mentioned Albon.
Daniel Ricciardo also spent time at Scuderia AlphaTauri, but back when the team was known as Torro Rosso. The team is known as a refinement school for Red Bull drivers, which led many to believe that de Vries had a bright future ahead of him. Given his age and performance this year, another shot at a seat seems highly unlikely.
Daniel Ricciardo finds himself in a highly enviable position, and not just because the job comes with a brand-new Honda Civic Type R. AlphaTauri is set for a massive revamp next year, and the relationship with RBR will be closer than ever. In short, the 2024 F1 car will inherit everything F1's technical regulations allow from RB19. As we know, RB19 is unbeatable and hasn't even been upgraded yet.
Welcome back, Honey Badger. We feel for de Vries, but that's the game. Ricciardo will make his debut (again) at the Hungarian Grand Prix next weekend.
Keyword: He's Back! Daniel Ricciardo Joins Scuderia AlphaTauri For Remainder Of F1 Season