A familiar face is back in Formula 1. Daniel Ricciardo will replace Dutch driver Nyck De Vries at Alpha Tauri for the rest of the season, the sister team Red Bull announced in a statement on Tuesday morning.
Ricciardo, who was a reserve driver at Red Bull this season, will be back on track from the Hungarian Grand Prix, which will take place on July 23. He will be paired with the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda, the other titular driver at Alpha Tauri
Ricciardo tested at Silverstone on Tuesday, driving the Red Bull RB19 car.
“I’m excited to be back on track with the Red Bull family,” said the 34-year-old Australian.
“I’m very happy to welcome Daniel back to our team,” said Franz Tost, Alpha Tauri team manager. His driving skills are unmistakable, and he already knows most of the team members, so his return will be quick and smooth. The team will also benefit from his experience, having scored eight career victories in F1. »
Ricciardo had lost his wheel at McLaren at the end of the last campaign, his second with the British team.
He began his F1 career with the Toro Rosso team – since renamed Alpha Tauri – in 2012 and 2013, before being promoted to Red Bull in 2014. Ricciardo then scored seven victories, before joining Renault in the dawn of 2019. The Australian subsequently made the switch to McLaren in 2021.
For his part, De Vries hasn’t scored a single ranking point so far this season, and Alpha Tauri languishes in 10e and last place in the constructors’ championship. He has a total of 11 career Grands Prix in F1.