Daniel Ricciardo was recorded having a comical encounter with a paddock guest at the British Grand Prix recently, after the guest revealed that they were “cheering” for the Aussie.
Ricciardo, of course, wasn’t actually racing at the Silverstone International Circuit, with the 33-year-old having been there in his role as Red Bull’s development driver.
He joked with the fan that he “wasn’t racing”, before questioning why they were supporting him.
“I was cheering for you,” the paddock guest said to Ricciardo.
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“I wasn’t racing, why were you cheering?” the fan favourite jokingly replied.
Ricciardo was back behind the wheel for the first-time since the 2022 season finale two days after the British GP, where he took part in a Pirelli tyre test.
The Australian got to drive the RB19, with his performance having impressed team principal Christian Horner.
Reportedly, Horner called Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko an hour into Ricciardo’s test, to inform him how well he was performing.
Shortly after, it was announced that the driver will be replacing Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri, for the remainder of 2023.
It means Ricciardo’s sabbatical will be cut short, as he’ll be racing for the Faenza-based team at the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix.
Why Ricciardo has accepted a seat in the worst car on the grid is unknown, especially as a poor performance could end his F1 career.
It’ll be vital that he beats new team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, should he wish to be offered a seat on the grid in 2024 somewhere.
A good performance in the woeful AT04 will also give Red Bull something to think about for next season, especially if Sergio Perez continues to struggle for consistency.
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For De Vries, it’s unknown what’s next for his career, after being sacked by AlphaTauri just 10 races into his rookie season.
There are suggestions that he could switch to endurance racing, or perhaps even return to Formula E.
De Vries became the first Formula E World Champion in 2021, with him having been linked with both Maserati and Nissan potentially for next season in the all-electric series.