Rookie Oscar Piastri has reacted to fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo returning to Formula 1, as he is replacing Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri.
It was confirmed on Tuesday that Red Bull’s development driver would be returning to the side’s sister team, for the first time since 2013.
The eight-time race winner will complete the rest of the 2023 season for the Faenza-based team, having been loaned out by Red Bull.
It means two Australian drivers will feature on the grid from the 2023 Hungarian GP onwards, with Piastri being pleased to see the 33-year-old back.
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“Amazing guy,” insisted Piastri, as per The Age. “Very happy for him to be back on the grid.”
Piastri, of course, replaced Ricciardo at McLaren this season, after the experienced driver endured two challenging campaigns at the Woking-based team.
Ricciardo’s plan had been to work behind-the-scenes at Red Bull for the entirety of 2023, before returning to the grid hopefully in 2024.
His early return perhaps increases his chances of finding a permanent seat next season; however, it’ll largely depend on how well he performs for AlphaTauri.
Performing well for AlphaTauri certainly won’t be an easy task, given that they possess one of the worst cars on the grid.
The Red Bull sister team currently sit bottom of the Constructors’ Championship, with Tsunoda having scored the teams only points – two.
Should Ricciardo do well, then he could give Red Bull something to think about, in regard to their second seat.
Whilst Sergio Perez is contracted until the end of 2024, the Mexican has struggled in recent races.
Perez has failed to make Q3 in five consecutive races, whilst he’s claimed just one podium since the Miami Grand Prix.
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Ricciardo is reportedly keen on returning to Red Bull as a driver one day, something he certainly has a chance of doing if he does well for AlphaTauri.
Should the Aussie struggle for the remainder of this season though, then it could spell the end of his F1 career.
Ricciardo will likely struggle to find a seat for 2024 if he performs badly, suggesting that returning to AlphaTauri is a huge gamble by the driver.