Daniel Ricciardo to immediately replace axed Nyck de Vries for AlphaTauri
The huge decision comes after a Crash exclusive where Ricciardo aꦇdmitted he would⛄ accept an AlphaTauri drive if it might lead to getting another shot with Red Bull.
Helmut Marko, Redꦍ Bull's advisor, made the call to axe De Vries after just 10 grands prix with AlphaTauri, paving the way for the hugely popul🧔ar Ricciardo to return to the grid full-time.
Ricciardo will drive at next week's F1 Hungarian Grand Prix for AܫlphaTauri, his first race since losing his McLaren seat at the end of last year, and will stay with them for the rest of this season.
Ricciardo exclusively told us at Silverstone about possibly driving for AlphaTauri: “If there’s the possibility to obviously b🃏e here [Red Bull]… The truth is this is where I want to be. I’m not going to weave my way around it.
“If that creates a path to get back here then yeah it’s somethi🧜ng I would look at because ultimately th𓆉is is the place where I want to get back to.”
News about De Vries' axing came on Tueꦇsday, originating in his home country of the Netherlands, while Ricciardo was busy driving a Red Bull for the first time at a tyr🔜e test.
He also told us last week that the "everybody is watching" the tyre test, an admission that it could prove p🐎ivotal in his F1 comeback.
In the end, his retu⭕rn to the grid is secure regardless, at De Vries' expense.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner, who watched Ricciardo in the tyre test: "It is great to see Daniel ha🍃sn’t lost any form while away from racing and that the strides he has been making in his SIM sessions translate on track.
"His times during the tyre test were extremely competitꦑive. It was a very impressive drive and we are excited to see what the rest of the season brings for Daniel on loan at Sc🌱uderia AlphaTauri."
James was a sports journ♔alist at Sky Sports for a decade coveriꦺng everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
