Daniel Ricciardo is back in Formula One after Red Bull confirmed the Australian will replace Nick De Vries at AlphaTauri with immediate effect.
AlphaTauri, which is owned by Red Bull, parted ways with the Dutch rookie on Tuesday after he failed to collect a single point in 10 races this season.
Ricciardo joins on loan from Red Bull and will be driving for AlphaTauri for the remainder of the season, starting with the Hungarian Grand Prix next week.
‘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.
Daniel Ricciardo is back in Formula One after Red Bull confirmed the Australian will replace Nick De Vries at AlphaTauri
De Vries failed to score a single point for Alpha Tauri in 10 races this season
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‘The team will also profit a lot from his experience, as he is an eight-time Formula One Grand Prix winner.
‘I would like to thank Nyck for his valuable contribution during his time with Scuderia AlphaTauri and I wish him all the best for the future.’
De Vries won the Formula Two title in 2019 and the Formula E world championship with Mercedes the following season.
The Dutchman impressed on his Formula One debut last season, finishing ninth at the Italian Grand Prix as he deputised for Alex Albon.
But he hasn’t been able to replicate his form 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.
The 34-year-old was on track at Silverstone on Tuesday for the first time this season as Red Bull carried out a tyre test.
‘His times during the tyre test were extremely competitive,’ Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said.
De Vries’ best result with AlphaTauri this season was a 12th place finish in Monaco
Ricciardo drove the Red Bull for the first time this season in a test on Tuesday
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner (left) was impressed with Ricciardo’s speed during the tyre test at Silverstone this week
‘It was a very impressive drive and we are excited to see what the rest of the season brings for Daniel on loan at Scuderia AlphaTauri.’
Ricciardo had vowed to remain in Formula One after being replaced by Oscar Piastri at McLaren, but failed to land a spot on the grid for this season.
Speaking during the Australian Grand Prix in April, Ricciardo said he was only interested driving for a top team and not for one that will require him to start from scratch.
His chances of landing a seat this season appeared slim after last month Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko hinted Kiwi driver Liam Lawson was in line to replace De Vries.
The Australian, who won seven races with Red Bull between 2014 and 2018, admitted last month that returning to the grid with the Austrian team would represent a ‘fairytale finish’ to his Formula One career.
‘This for me would be like the fairytale,’ he told ESPN.
Ricciardo was axed by McLaren at the end of last season after a dismal two years
‘Honestly, the fairytale ending [would be] to finish my career here if I could have it all my own way.
‘But we’ll see. I’ll probably have to work my way up a little bit, but it’s really nice to be back here.’
Ricciardo left McLaren at the end of last season, despite having still 12 months to run on his three-year deal.
He picked up 37 points in a dismal second year with the Woking team, a whopping 85 fewer than teammate Lando Norris, who scored points in 17 races.
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