DANIEL RICCIARDO has made a sensational return to Formula 1 to replace Nyck de Vries who has been axed by AlphaTauri with immediate effect.
Australian Ricciardo, 34, failed to secure a seat for the 2023 season after being let go by McLaren.
He returned to Red Bull as their reserve driver behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez – a team he won five races with between 2014 and 2017.
But now he will be on the F1 grid with AlphaTauri – an Italian team owned by Red Bull – as the news was confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that he will join them for the remainder of the year.
Speaking about his return, Ricciardo said: “I’m stoked to be back on track with the Red Bull family!”
And Franz Tost, AlphaTauri team principal, added: “I’m very pleased to welcome Daniel back into the team.
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“There’s no doubt about his driving skills, and he already knows many of us, so his integration will be easy and straight forward.
“The team will also profit a lot from his experience, as he is an eight-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner.
“I would like to thank Nyck for his valuable contribution during his time with Scuderia AlphaTauri and I wish him all the best for the future.”
De Vries, 28, only joined AlphaTauri ahead of the 2023 season after waiting in the wings as a reserve and test driver for the likes of Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin.
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But he lasted just 10 Grands Prix before being ditched in ruthless fashion.
De Vries, without a point in the campaign, failed to finish higher than 12th in any of his races.
And he ended 50 per cent of his starts 17th or lower – including one retirement.
Fellow AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda has secured two points and finished ahead of De Vries in nine out of 10 races.
Speaking about De Vries’ future back in May, team chief Helmut Marko told F1 Insider: “We spoke to De Vries and he agrees with us, he needs to improve.
“The gap to team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who is doing a great job, is too big.
“To use footballer jargon, Nick has a yellow card but not the red one yet. If he improves, a driver change will not be an issue.”
Ricciardo will take over from De Vries in time for the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 21.
He has not raced in F1 since the Abu Dhabi GP on November 20 last year where he finished ninth.
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The Aussie claimed 37 points for McLaren in 2022 – 85 fewer than team-mate Lando Norris.
But he has eight Grands Prix wins to his name since making his debut 12 years ago.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
