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Daniel Ricciardo is not too worried about the AlphaTauri car and its struggles as he joins the team mid-season. Speaking in the driver’s press conference ahead of the 2023 Hungarian GP, the Australian stated that he did not want to be pessimistic due to Nyck De Vries' struggles with the car earlier in the season.
Asked by Sportskeeda if the axed Dutch driver’s struggles worried him, Ricciardo responded by saying:
“Firstly, I'm not worried. I know there will be challenges, for sure. I know that it's probably going to be a car that we're going to have to work at, probably every weekend. I mean, everyone's working on it, but probably a little bit more at the moment with where it's at.
"But look, I don't see the, let's say, pessimistic point of view or being worried about this or that, or if the car doesn't suit me, it's just, for me, like an opportunity now. I think the time off was really, really beneficial for me. And I'm in a place now where I'm just hungry and ready to go. And that's really it. That's where I'm looking at. Yeah, so, pretty pumped.”
The former Red Bull driver who replaced De Vries is counting on racking more mileage in the AlphaTauri AT04 before he can target the Red Bull drive for 2025 or earlier.
Along with the enthusiasm surrounding his return, AlphaTauri will be providing the Australian with a heavily upgraded AlphaTauri AT03. It has been upgraded with a new front wing, nose, floor, and rear wing.
According to Christian Horner’s remarks, the Australian’s Pirelli test time in Silverstone was good enough to put him on the front row of the grid. The Red Bull CEO has gone further to claim that the former McLaren driver is pitching for Sergio Perez’s seat.
Max Verstappen will be glad to have Daniel Ricciardo as a teammate at Red Bull
Max Verstappen cherishes the idea of having Daniel Ricciardo return to Red Bull as his teammate in the future. Despite pulling some career-ending moves on each other on track in the past, the Dutchman felt they always shared a good camaraderie.
One of the reasons behind the Australian’s departure from the Milton Keynes team was the rise of the Dutchman. However, their camaraderie off track has always been a cordial one where both have been able to shrug off their past differences.
Asked in the press conference in Hungary if he fancied the idea of having Daniel Ricciardo as his teammate again, the Dutchman replied:
“Yeah, I mean, I never actually wanted him to leave. But no, I mean, all of these things. We know that we get on very well. And yeah, I mean, if Daniel, of course, does well where he is now, then, of course, you have the opportunity to go back up, right? So it's all open to be honest.”
The return of Daniel Ricciardo at the Hungarian GP weekend has been the highlight of the news cycle on Thursday. But the Thursday driver’s press conference saw the former Red Bull teammates sharing candid moments which lightened the mood and atmosphere.
The Australian will be returning to the Faenza team 10 years after he left them at the end of the 2013 season, after being promoted to Red Bull for the 2014 season.
