Red Bull Team Principal, Christian Horner, expressed his excitement about Daniel Ricciardo’s loan spell with AlphaTauri in Formula 1. The announcement came after Nyck de Vries was removed from the team, and Ricciardo will now partner with Yuki Tsunoda starting from the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Ricciardo showcased his skills during a Pirelli tyre test at Silverstone, driving the RB19. His performance was impressive, with his lap time being good enough for the front row in the upcoming British Grand Prix.

Horner commented on Ricciardo’s move, stating that it is great to see that he hasn’t lost any form during his time away from racing. He also mentioned that Ricciardo’s progress in SIM sessions translated well on the track. Horner expressed excitement about the rest of the season and what it holds for Ricciardo during his loan spell at Scuderia AlphaTauri.

Ricciardo has previously driven for AlphaTauri when it was known as Toro Rosso from 2012 to 2013. He was then promoted to the senior Red Bull squad in 2014 after Mark Webber’s retirement. During his time with Red Bull, Ricciardo achieved seven wins in five years before leaving at the end of 2018 to join Renault. However, he made a switch to McLaren for the 2021 season and secured a race win at the Italian Grand Prix. Despite this, Ricciardo struggled to adapt to the McLaren and was eventually replaced by Oscar Piastri for the 2023 season due to his declining performances.