Reports suggesting Daniel Ricciardo replacing Nyck de Vries are not true

Despite Nyck de Vries' horrifying AlphaTauri baptism, recent sources have disproved earlier speculations that Daniel Ricciardo may join the Austrian team to replace the former.

Reports tying the Australian to AlphaTauri surfaced after de Vries finished 18th at the Miami Grand Prix. It was earlier suggested that Red Bull reserve Ricciardo had earlier visited AlphaTauri's headquarters in Faenza, Italy this week for a seat fitting.

However, despite de Vries' disappointing results this season, according to reports from ESPN, a possible Daniel Ricciardo move to AlphaTauri to replace the 28-year-old remains a remote possibility. This suggests that no discussions have been held with Ricciardo on such a scenario.

Additionally, according to the reports, the veteran never visited Faenza after the Miami Grand Prix. The Red Bull reserve, however, went directly to Europe following the Miami Grand Prix in order to attend the wedding of two of his friends.

The 33-year-old is Red Bull's current backup driver for the ongoing season. The Australian earlier made it clear that he plans to race again in 2024, but this time with a "front-running" squad.

At the conclusion of the 2022 season, Daniel decided to part ways with McLaren and chose to work as a reserve driver for Red Bull. As a reserve driver, Ricciardo's major duties are to assist the team's regular drivers and be ready to take over if unforeseen circumstances arise.

Ahead of the 2024 season, it is unclear what Daniel Ricciardo's prospects are. While some sources said that the Australian may take Sergio Perez's place at Red Bull, the Mexican driver's current form and recent results indicate that Checo won't be leaving the team come the 2024 season.

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Despite the rumours regarding Daniel Ricciardo, Nyck de Vries is having a tough 2023 season with AlphaTauri

De Vries, 28, has gotten a career in Formula One off to an absolutely shocking start. The Dutchman presently has zero points to his name and is at the very bottom of the points standings.

In Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, his 14th-place finish was his best of the year. After nearly crashing in Australia and Baku, Nyck finished 18th in Miami after almost crashing into the back of Lando Norris on the opening lap.

Nyck de Vries ahead of the Miami Grand Prix

The rumour mill inevitably swung into high gear after AlphaTauri's unsuccessful first few months in the top division, with rumours and claims flying about a change of drivers. However, it should be noted that team president Franz Tost has, for the time being, shown entire confidence in the 28-year-old.

That so, it is thought that Red Bull would give other young people on its junior squad priority if a roster change at AlphaTauri were to be considered. According to rumours, Liam Lawson and Ayumu Iwasa are the two candidates most likely to succeed Nyck de Vries if a change of drivers happened to be in the cards.