Daniel Ricciardo is set to drive for AlphaTauri for the remainder of the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship, the team announced on Tuesday.
He will replace current driver Nyck De Vries, a promising rookie that has failed to make progress this season.
Ricciardo is a multiple race winner and previously drove for the Red Bull Racing feeder team when it was still Toro Rosso. He also drove for Red Bull, where he’s currently a reserve drive. Ricciardo is considered to be “on loan” to AlphaTauri from Red Bull.
The announcement came just hours after Ricciardo drove the current Red Bull RB19 in a Pirelli tire test at Silverstone. He will join AlphaTauri for the next race on the calendar, the Hungarian Grand Prix, partnering Yuki Tsunoda.
Nyck de Vries – Photo credit: Getty Images
Ricciardo drove for Toro Rosso in 2012 and 2013 before being promoted to Red Bull for the 2014 season. He scored seven wins with Red Bull before moving to Renault (now Alpine) for the 2019 season. He spent two seasons at the French team before moving to McLaren for the 2021 season.
While he did score an eighth victory with McLaren, Ricciardo struggled with the team. His contract was terminated one year early, leaving him without a race seat at the end of the 2022 season. With no other options, Ricciardo returned to Red Bull as a reserve driver, while McLaren signed Oscar Piastri as his replacement.
Dutch driver De Vries is a Formula E champion and managed a ninth place finish in his first F1 appearance, a one-off drive for Williams in 2022. He’s being replaced after just 10 races, having not scored any points. AlphaTauri is currently at the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship, with just two points scored by Tsunoda.