F1 News: AlphaTauri Chief Reveals Red Bull's Reservations On Daniel Ricciardo Racing Return
The 2023 season took an unexpected turn when Daniel Ricciardo was brought in to replace Nyck de Vries after just ten races of his rookie season. AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer recently revealed that Red Bull initially resisted the move to bring Ricciardo into the role.
Key Takeaways:
- Red Bull's Initial Hesitation: Peter Bayer, the CEO of AlphaTauri, shared that Red Bull was initially keen on keeping Daniel Ricciardo as their reserve driver, a decision that could have blocked his move to AlphaTauri and the chance to replace Nyck de Vries.
- Ricciardo's 2023 Season Challenges: After stepping in for de Vries, Ricciardo’s 2023 season was hampered by a hand injury at the Dutch Grand Prix, limiting his participation to just seven races.
- Confirmed Duo for 2024: Despite the setbacks, AlphaTauri has shown confidence in Ricciardo, pairing him with Yuki Tsunoda for the 2024 season.
Daniel Ricciardo made a noteworthy return to Formula 1 part way through the 2023 season, replacing the underperforming Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri. This move followed Ricciardo's departure from McLaren at the end of the previous season. However, his comeback was not without its difficulties, as a hand injury sustained at the Dutch Grand Prix weekend resulted in his absence from five races, reducing his participation to only seven races for the year.
Liam Lawson, a 21-year-old rising star, seized the opportunity to demonstrate his skills while substituting for Ricciardo. Despite these hurdles, AlphaTauri chose to maintain the seasoned pairing of Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda for the upcoming 2024 season.
In a conversation with Motorsport Magazin.com, Peter Bayer elaborated on Ricciardo’s influence and value to AlphaTauri. He explained:
“Daniel has experience, so he helps us with the setup on all the routes. Daniel is a real reference for Yuki.
"He brought an incredible amount of new energy into the team within a week. Our mechanics were happy: 'Hey, wow, something is happening!'
"The transition wasn't easy, but at the end of the day it had such a positive impact.”
Furthermore, Bayer disclosed that Red Bull initially had reservations about releasing Ricciardo from his reserve driver role. He said:
“Originally it was said: ‘No, Daniel is a reserve driver at Red Bull and it stays that way.’ And then over the course of a month we actually kept asking how things were going.
"At some point Christian Horner came to us and said: 'We're doing the test at Silverstone, maybe we'll take a look at it.' Then Helmut said: 'Yes, why not?'”