Daniel Ricciardo will be returning to the F1 grid in 2023 with AlphaTauri. His first race back since leaving the sport after the 2022 season will be at the Hungarian GP this weekend.
The Australian is very familiar with the Hungarian racing circuit, having won two races there in the past. Ricciardo won the 2014 F1 Hungarian GP as a young driver starting out his F1 career.
Ricciardo was able to clock in some extremely fast laps during the qualifying session to place himself fourth on the grid. The start of the 2014 F1 Hungarian GP saw the entire grid on intermediate tires due to damp conditions. Ricciardo lost a few places with a slower start off the line and saw himself constantly fighting Jenson Button's McLaren. A safety car period on lap 10 saw a few pitting for dry tires, giving Ricciardo the lead. Another safety car after Sergio Perez crashed out of the race gave Ricciardo a chance to pit, coming out of the pit lane in sixth, behind Lewis Hamilton and his teammate Sebastian Vettel.
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Vettel lost control of the car and lost a few places, allowing Daniel Ricciardo to overtake his teammate and keep up with Lewis Hamilton and the others leading the race. Red Bull decided on a two-stop race and pitted Ricciardo on lap 54.
With fresh tires on, he was able to overtake Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to take the lead of the Hungarian GP on laps 67 and 68, respectively. He went on to win his second ever race in Formula 1.
Speaking to the F1 media after the win, Ricciardo said:
"Felt awesome! Definitely as good as the first. I think that the first is great, but the second you realize basically, a bit quicker what went on and in a way, you're able just to enjoy it quicker. So yeah, when I crossed the line, I knew what was what was going down, and I let out a lot of emotions."
AlphaTauri team boss delighted to welcome Daniel Ricciardo to his team
AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost stated that he was delighted to welcome Daniel Ricciardo to the Italian outfit. The Australian will be on loan from Red Bull to their sister team until the end of the 2023 F1 season. Tost said (via the AlphaTauri website):
"I’m very pleased to welcome Daniel back into the team. There’s no doubt about his driving skills, and he already knows many of us, so his integration will be easy and straight forward."
He added:
"The team will also profit a lot from his experience, as he is an eight-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner. I would like to thank Nyck for his valuable contribution during his time with Scuderia AlphaTauri and I wish him all the best for the future."
Daniel Ricciardo is replacing Nyck de Vries with immediate effect and will be seen on the grid at the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP from July 21-23.
