Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo has returned to the driver’s seat ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, testing out the team’s title-winning RB7 on some unusual terrain.
In a video released by Red Bull, Ricciardo takes the Formula One car for a cross-country trip throughout Australia’s stunning outback and scenic coastline.
Appearing in scenes that wouldn’t have been out of place in a Hollywood movie, Ricciardo is joined by other Red Bull athletes, including aerobatic pilot Matt Hall, off-road race Daniel Snaders and supercars driver Shane van Gisbergen
The RB7, Red Bull’s car in the 2011 season, gave the team both the Constructors’ Championship and Drivers’ Championship, as Sebastian Vettel retained his title.
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The Australian Grand Prix around the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne has been an annual event on the Formula One calendar since 1996, with exceptions in 2020 and 2021 when it was cancelled due to Covid.
For Ricciardo, this year marks the first time since he entered Formula One where he will not be joining his fellow drivers around the circuit, having lost his seat at McLaren.
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Having failed to gel with the car, only managing one win during his time at McLaren and regularly performing worse than Lando Norris, the team looked to make a change, ending Ricciardo’s contract early.
Fellow Australian Oscar Piastri picked up the available race seat at McLaren, while Ricciardo struggled to find a spot on the grid, ultimately returning to Red Bull as a reserve driver.
However, Piastri has, so far, failed to perform better than Ricciardo did on the racetrack, as unfortunate incidents in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia saw him retire early and then finish in 15th.