F1 presenter says Daniel Ricciardo won't drive for Red Bull in 2024, reveals which team he could join instead

According to Formula 1 correspondent and presenter Lawrence Barretto, Daniel Ricciardo could be back on the F1 grid next year with AlphaTauri.

Ricciardo left Red Bull at the end of 2018 and spent two years with Renault, before moving to McLaren in 2021, replacing the Scuderia Ferrari-bound Carlos Sainz. His time with the Woking-based team began on a positive note, as he qualified sixth in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and P7 in the race.

The positives, however, were few and far between. His triumph at the 2021 Italian GP ended McLaren's nine-year wait for a victory in F1. That aside, his spell with the team was largely disappointing, with the Australian being beaten by his younger teammate Lando Norris in the drivers' standings in 2021 and 2022.

Ricciardo parted ways with McLaren last year and decided to spend a year away from the action. Instead, he returned to Red Bull Racing, becoming their reserve and simulator driver for 2023.

With there being a lot of talk about Ricciardo's future and the teams he could join to get back on the F1 grid, Lawrence Barretto has revealed that Red Bull's sister team AlphaTauri is a genuine option for the 33-year-old.

"After six months and around a third of the season, that love for F1 has come flooding back. He [Daniel Ricciardo] is excited about being involved again. He wants to race. He wants to win. Most importantly, he believes he can win," he said. [via F1.com]

"But where can he go?" he continued. "In re-joining Red Bull, Ricciardo will have hoped it gave him a chance – even if it’s a slim one – to return to a race seat, though he hadn’t said that publicly, until last week in Canada."

"Sources say a race seat at AlphaTauri next season is a genuine option for him, with both the Red Bull family and Ricciardo open to the move," he added.

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“Not at all costs” - Daniel Ricciardo on making a return to Formula 1

Since joining Red Bull Racing as their reserve driver for 2023, Daniel Ricciardo has expressed his desire to rejoin the F1 grid and get back to racing as early as possible.

That said, Ricciardo has stated that a comeback will happen only on certain terms and conditions, and not "at all costs".

"I want to be back with a top team and a team where I have that confidence back and my mojo. To go back and to maybe put myself in any seat that’s fighting at best for like a top 10, I don’t think it’s going to bring the best out of me," he told The Athletic.

"I see myself, at least in my head, wanting to be back on the grid. But there’s still some terms and conditions, so to speak. It’s not at all costs," he added.