In rumours that have got my personal engine extremely revved, it seems Australia’s boyfriend Daniel Ricciardo might be in line to make a big return to the F1 grid.
In his current role as a reserve driver for Red Bull, Ricciardo isn’t racing — but that could change soon, according to recent Formula 1 tea.
So what’s the sitch? Well, rookie driver Nyck de Vries (who races for Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri) has been struggling to find form in 2023. He’s yet to score any championship points and has been involved in a couple of on-track accidents.
The working theory is that our very own sweet baby angel Ricciardo could be in line to replace de Vries if he gets the flick.
It makes sense. According to 9’s Wide World of Sports, Daniel Ricciardo’s current contract as a reserve driver means that he’s available to both the senior squad (i.e. Red Bull) and AlphaTauri should one of their starting drivers be unable to race.
Adding fuel to the beautiful big rumour fire is the fact that Daniel Ricciardo apparently had a seat fitting at AlphaTauri last week.
This could have been routine — making sure that he could comfortably replace de Vries or AlphaTauri’s other starting driver Yuki Tsunoda — but fans and sports journos are having a fucking field day with it.
Would I selfishly love to see Daniel Ricciardo overtaking McLarens in an AlphaTauri? Yes
Could I stomach watching Nyck De Vries getting binned after 5 races? No
— Dyl (@HoodieUce) May 11, 2023
Daniel Ricciardo to AlphaTauri sometime in the 2023 season to replace De Vries, calling my shot now
— Tim Thompson (@TimThompson85) May 6, 2023
Daniel Ricciardo’s seat fit at AlphaTauri is true, @Motorsport confirms. He is also reserve driver for the team, so the seat fit was necessary.
Rumours said he might replace De Vries, whose season is not going well so far. Red Bull wants signs of progress by the Spanish GP. #F1
— Ahmet Cir (@AhmetCirF1) May 11, 2023
It’s been a weird F1 season not having Daniel Ricciardo racing — and I can’t even imagine how boring Netflix’s Drive To Survive will be without him as a main plotline next year — so clearly fans have their wishful thinking hats firmly ON.
Meanwhile, a report from ESPN has a source claiming that Kiwi Liam Lawson, who is Red Bull’s third driver, would actually be the first choice to take over should de Vries be let go from AlphaTauri.
The plot is thicker than a Formula 1 driver’s neck at the moment. I guess we will just have to put our gears into park and wait to find out.
