Daniel Ricciardo option ‘theoretically’ available for AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost

AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost stated that Red Bull reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo is an option for them as a substitute for the 2023 F1 season.

The Aussie will most likely do a couple of practice sessions for Red Bull Racing and will be busy doing setup and simulator work for the team at their base in Milton Keynes this year. With AlphaTauri's ties to its sister team, there is a possibility of Ricciardo replacing one of the main drivers in the team.

Speaking to PlanetF1, Tost said:

“Theoretically yes, practically, I don’t hope so because there are young drivers like Liam Lawson, like Hauger. I think we will primarily be focused on the young drivers because that’s within our capacity.”

He added:

“We will always be about the future, educating young drivers, but Formula 1, in general, has changed and is now very, very competitive. That means to bring in young drivers you really have to do a good program with them, you have to prepare them in the best possible way."

“We need one more experienced driver in the car because of the technical feedback. It will be difficult to bring in two young drivers. But nevertheless, if Red Bull Racing needs one of our drivers in the future, this is still one of the reasons why Red Bull has two teams.”

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“From a driving point of view, the simulator will be the main thing that I do [this year]" - Daniel Ricciardo

During the RB19 launch, Daniel Ricciardo explained how he will help the Austrian team in the 2023 season. He mentioned that he would want to have a crack at driving the RB19 at some point in the season.

Speaking to F1.com, he said:

“I am definitely keen to have a crack [in the car], just to stay race fit, so the body doesn't go into complete shock when it hits 5Gs, but also, if there was a test tomorrow, I'm still good. From a driving point of view, a simulator will be the main thing that I do [this year]."

"There are some events, so I'll do some show runs throughout the year. [It’s] not confirmed, so I'm not sure if it will happen but I know there are some tire tests.”

It would be interesting to see if Daniel Ricciardo can make a comeback on the F1 grid with either Red Bull or AlphaTauri as a substitute during the season.