The immediate hiring of Daniel Ricciardo after the firing of Dutch driver Nyck de Vries from AlphaTauri as his replacement has raised many questions regarding the politics involved in Formula 1. The Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has pinned his opinions on the situation. He firmly asserted that it would have been “unfair” if they had chosen Liam Lawson to take Nyck de Vries’ vacant spot at AlphaTauri for the remainder of the season.
The 34-year-old Daniel Ricciardo was chosen to replace the driver’s seat despite Lawson’s outstanding performance in Japan’s Super Formula, where he won three out of six races and currently stands only one point behind the championship leader with three races remaining. Queries were voiced about the future of the Red Bull junior programs in light of this act.
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has insisted it would have been “unfair” to select Liam Lawson as Nyck de Vries’ replacement at AlphaTauri for the remainder of the season.
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 20, 2023
Addressing Lawson’s snub, Horner told the F1 Nation podcast:
“Liam’s doing a great job out in… pic.twitter.com/PXJ3Xz2Cxf
On the F1 Nation podcast, Christian Horner spoke about the choice to pass on Lawson and stated, “We felt it was perhaps unfair to throw him into a situation where we put him straight into a car like that“. He added to this by saying, “So I think it made logical sense, subject to the tests going ok, for Daniel to step up into that cockpit.” According to the team principal, Ricciardo had proven his worth just after the seventh lap.
Daniel Ricciardo is ready to race for AlphaTauri
The highly anticipated comeback of Daniel Ricciardo in the 2023 season is set to coincide with the launch of the second feature in AlphaTauri’s upgrades package at the coming Hungarian Grand Prix. Despite the team’s current standing at the bottom of the Formula 1 constructors’ standings, there is hope that these substantial changes will improve their pace and performance.
After being let go by McLaren at the end of the previous season, Daniel Ricciardo is making a comeback in Formula 1. Only the Pirelli tire test from last week provided him with this term’s on-track experience. Ricciardo had extensive testing with around 100 laps around Silverstone and brilliantly shut off all doubts regarding his racing condition.
seat check 👌#HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/8vgCSRMmCT
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) July 20, 2023
The Aussie has consistently trained to maintain his top level of physical endurance and athleticism. Christian Horner additionally has expressed confidence that Ricciardo is ready for the difficult battle ahead even though Hungary has a reputation for being one of the most difficult races on the calendar.
Previously, AlphaTauri relied on rookie de Vries and 23-year-old Tsunoda, but the arrival of Ricciardo is anticipated to give the team a much-needed boost in terms of expertise and insight. The combination of the team’s efforts and Ricciardo’s expertise may prove to be an effective mix as the team continues to work to rise higher on the grid.