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Red Bull reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo will replace rookie Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri for the rest of the season, starting at the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Australian driver returned to driving an F1 car earlier today (July 11) at Silverstone, testing the RB19 for a test. It was crucial for the team and him to assess his driving speed in a car. He is now set to replace De Vries at AlphaTauri after the latter failed to perform this season.
The team signed De Vries this season after their former driver, Pierre Gasly signed a contract with Alpine. There were many expectations from De Vries owing to the fact that he is a former Formula E world champion.
He also scored points in his first-ever F1 race (Monza, 2022, replacing Alex Albon and finishing P8 in the Williams). But he did not live up to those expectations.
This season has been rather tough for him and the team. They have failed to score enough points and sit at the bottom of the standings with just two points, which have been scored by his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda.
Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko earlier stated that De Vries would be replaced in the season if his performance didn't improve, which seemingly did not.
Daniel Ricciardo desires to return to AlphaTauri
As F1.com mentioned, Daniel Ricciardo previously spoke about his desire to return to the grid with AlphaTauri. He drove for the team under the Toro Rosso tag, before upgrading to Red Bull back in the day.
Daniel Ricciardo drove for McLaren until the end of the 2022 season when his contract was terminated by the team in a mutual decision. He then returned to Red Bull as their third (reserve) driver and has been performing his duties.
He did mention coming back on the grid soon enough, as F1 quoted:
"Right now, I do want to get back on the grid next year. I do feel like there’s certainly some unfinished business. I’m staying in the loop and staying prepared."
Coming down to AlphaTauri, there will be a lot of work remaining for the driver. In the current scenario, the team is in shambles and has remained out of points for quite some time. Battling for the top-10 finish, he will have to make his way through the midfield.
Regardless, it will be an amazing return for Ricciardo on the grid.
