Daniel Ricciardo’s eyes light up when he gets a surprise visit from a very good – and very famous – mate as Aussie prepares for his F1 return with AlphaTauri
- Ricciardo was testing at Silverstone during British GP
- Aussie will return to the grid with AlphaTauri
- Had a very special visitor at Red Bull tyre test
Daniel Ricciardo got a very pleasant surprise when an old teammate of his ambushed him as he took Red Bull’s car through its paces at Silverstone during last weekend’s British Grand Prix.
The Aussie was impressive during the tyre test in the all-conquering Red Bull RB19 and was named to replace AlphaTauri’s rookie Nick De Vries for the rest of the season shortly afterwards.
Ricciardo was stopped in pit lane with his helmet off when the famous figure walked up and handed him a drink and a clipboard.
The Aussie looked up and his eyes went wide in amazement as he recognised his former Red Bull teammate and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel.
A split second later Ricciardo broke into one of his trademark beaming grins before the old friends shared a chat and a laugh.
Ricciardo was shocked when he first realised who was handing him a drink and a clipboard as he put the Red Bull through its paces at Silverstone last weekend
Once the Aussie soaked in who he was speaking to, the old Red Bull teammates shared a laugh and a quick chat
Vettel spent the 2014 season with Ricciardo at Red Bull before leaving for Ferrari, but the pair have remained good mates.
Last November the 34-year-old said the German superstar had been a ‘true friend’ as he struggled through a horror year with McLaren.
‘He’s picked up the phone multiple times this year, and just been a friend, and just, like, showing care, just checking in, checking in as a true friend would do,’ Ricciardo said.
‘To have friends like that is so important. But it’s also not that common, in terms of the grid.
‘We get on with drivers, and you do build friendships, but to have that kind of deeper level of friendship … some gestures he made this year, and some of the kindness he showed towards me was, in a way, kind of unexpected.’
The pair drove for Red Bull in 2014 and have stayed close since, with Ricciardo praising Vettel for being a ‘true friend’ as he struggled through a horror season with McLaren last year
The Aussie (pictured during testing at Silverstone last weekend) is finally getting another start on the F1 grid, this time with AlphaTauri
Ricciardo can finally look at those troubles in the rear-view mirror after securing his return to the grid with AlphaTauri, which is owned by Red Bull.
He’ll drive his first race for them at the Hungarian Grand Prix next weekend.
‘I am stoked to be back on track with the Red Bull family,’ the Australian said in a statement.
AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost added: ‘I’m very pleased to welcome Daniel back into the team. There’s no doubt about his driving skills, and he already knows many of us, so his integration will be easy and straight forward.
‘The team will also profit a lot from his experience, as he is an eight-time Formula One Grand Prix winner.’
De Vries hasn’t been able to replicate his form in lower-tier racing in his first season with Alpha Tauri and, along with fellow rookie Logan Sargeant, is the only driver yet to score a point this year.
Ricciardo returned to Red Bull as reserve driver this year after parting ways with McLaren 12 months earlier than planned following two unsuccessful seasons.
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