Daniel Ricciardo creates a stir on a possible return earlier than expected after being spotted at home of AlphaTauri

There have been several reports about Daniel Ricciardo's return to F1 sooner than expected and how he could replace Nyck de Vries in AlphaTauri. The Dutchman is having a horrendous start to his F1 career.

He has not scored any points and has made several mistakes since the start of the 2023 F1 season. Plus, he was unable to bring any major Dutch sponsors to the team since most of the sponsors were already brought in by Max Verstappen.

Since the French team is considered Red Bull's B team, it is governed by the reigning world champions only. Furthermore, Red Bull has been known for being ruthless with any driver who is underdelivering and quickly demoting them accordingly.

They already have a great F1 driver in Daniel Ricciardo, who is currently working as a reserve driver for both teams.

Hence, there were already chances that the Australian could be driving one of the four cars under the Red Bull umbrella. To further solidify the rumors of Ricciardo's imminent return as an AlphaTauri driver, he has been seen in the team's factory in Faenza, where he had a seat fit and test.

Though there have been no official statements or even hints by either of the two teams. It is safe to say that the option of Daniel Ricciardo replacing Nyck De Vries must be on the cards.

These kinds of decisions are usually taken by Helmut Marko and other heads of the team. Only time will tell whether the rookie Dutchman's seat will be pulled from underneath him or not.

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Daniel Ricciardo about his attitude when he was with Red Bull in 2018

Daniel Ricciardo explained how his attitude towards the sport and towards himself was so different during his first stint with Red Bull back in 2018. He explained how he was selfish like any other young driver and how he was quite the opposite after he joined the team as a reserve driver in 2023.

Speaking to The Athletic, Ricciardo said:

“I come at it from a different point of view now. Even looking back at 2018 … it was just all about me, me, me. In all these young drivers, I see it. That’s just how we are. At times, I reacted a little too selfishly to a bad weekend. Now, I’m back with the team, but I’d say it’s a very selfless role. I’ve got no hidden agenda. There’s no ego. I’m not too proud. I’m trying to build myself back up.”

Daniel Ricciardo left the grid after the 2022 F1 season and joined Red Bull as a reserve driver. He has also helped the team create lots of promotional content for their social media accounts. However, he still has fire in his belly to return to the sport and perform.