Ricciardo on his way back to F1? Red Bull is reportedly considering his involvement

Will Daniel Ricciardo return to Formula 1? The Australian driver lost his racing seat in the queen of motorsport after his involvement with McLaren. But he could get it back. Red Bull, or rather the “B team” AlphaTauri, according to insider Lawrence Barrett’s sources, is considering bringing him on board.

Australian Ricciardo could have been a championship contender in his prime. However, this was the 2016 season, when Formula One was utterly dominated by Mercedes. However, even in other seasons, Ricciardo was one of F1’s best drivers.

For the 2019 season, however, he moved to Renault where, with a few exceptions, his gradual career decline began. He did much better in 2020, when he scored two podium finishes in the drivers’ championship finishing a solid fifth with 119 points.

The following season, already in McLaren colours, he scored only four points less, but it was only enough to finish eighth overall. Ricciardo, it should be noted, returned to the podium once again when he won the Italian Grand Prix.

His teammate Lando Norris finished second, giving McLaren a double. It’s fair to say that the Woking team was the only one to do so in the 2021 season. However, Ricciardo was figuratively burnt in 2022 (37 points, 11th overall in the drivers’ championship).

McLaren terminated their partnership with him due to his truly tragic on-track performances, whereupon Ricciardo did not earn a race seat for this year. Red Bull engaged him as a reserve driver.

He will, however, take to the Red Bull cockpit for the first time this year at Silverstone, where he will test the new Pirelli tyres for three days.

A return in 2024?

Ricciardo could make a full return to F1 next year, however, according to the latest reports. Indeed, the Silverstone test will be one of the crucial aspects.

Indeed, according to insider Lawrence Barrett and his sources, Red Bull is indeed considering his involvement. But of course not in the first team, but in the “B” team – AlphaTauri.

The current team leader in the Faenza stable is Júki Cunoda, the co-pilot is Nyck De Vries. And he’s not doing well in terms of performance. After eight races this year, he has not scored a single point and is currently nineteenth in the drivers’ championship.

What will be the composition of the AlphaTauri driver line-up next season is still a question. But it must be added that Cunoda has a contract until the end of this season. However, due to political aspects, he will most likely continue.

DeVries has signed a multi-year contract with the Italian team, which also runs until at least the end of the 2023 season. Given his current tenure with AlphaTauri, his position is not unshakable. However, in addition to Ricciardo, junior Liam Lawson could also get a chance.

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