Daniel Ricciardo says 'falling back in love' with Formula 1 was key to his return at AlphaTauri
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Published 15/07/2023 at 14:45 GMT
Daniel Ricciardo has opened up on the reason he was willing to return to Formula 1 so quickly after being axed by McLaren, saying he has fallen "back in love" with the sport. The Australian is set to make his comeback at the Hungarian Grand Prix after replacing Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri. He will partner Yuki Tsunoda for the rest of the 2023 season.
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Daniel Ricciardo says his time away from Formula 1 has helped him rediscover his love for the sport that had waned during two difficult seasons at McLaren.
Such were his struggles at the Woking-based outfit that the Australian had his contract terminated early, leaving him without a seat on the grid for 2023 and with his F1 future hanging in the balance.
At his lowest ebb, the typically bubbly Ricciardo looked a shell of his former self, both on and off the track. However, after “falling back in love” with the sport, Ricciardo is set to make a sensational return at the Hungarian Grand Prix after replacing Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri.
“Falling out of love with it [F1] took a hit on my confidence and of course if you're competing in a sport where you're trying to be the best at something, the best in the world at something, obviously you need full confidence and belief,” Ricciardo said in an interview on F1's YouTube channel.
“When that starts to diminish a bit, your enjoyment drops a bit as well. There's a lot of factors. Getting back to Red Bull, just the reception I had walking back into that team was in a positive way a little bit overwhelming.
“Getting back on the sim, I was a bit unsure how it was going to go, if the car would feel like it used to, if I was going to be like - for the lack of better words - 'the old me'.
“But once I'd done a few sim sessions and started feeling like myself again it brought me back to normal Daniel where I was falling back in love and ready to go again.”
Since reuniting with Red Bull, Ricciardo has cut a far more upbeat figure around the paddock. He has also been in the simulator, with team boss Christian Horner said to have been impressed with the lap times his former driver has been setting.
But while Ricciardo acknowledges the break has done him good, he admits he had no reservations about cutting it short to get back to the cut a thrust of racing for real.
“I've enjoyed these six months off, and it was really good for me, but the more races I started to attend, the more sims I've started to do, I was getting the bug back,” he added. “And then jumping in the car a few days ago I thought, 'Oh yeah'. It all felt very normal, very familiar...
“I didn't really need to think too much about (accepting the call to return). I think being back in this family, I'm kind of going through it all again... there was no question I was going to say yes.”
When Ricciardo takes to the track in Hungary, he will have come full circle, having made his debut for AlphaTauri – back then Toro Rosso – in 2012. It also represents a departure from previous comments he has made insisting he would only be coaxed back to the sport for a top team.
The Red Bull sister outfit is currently languishing in last place in the Constructors’ Championship, so how does Ricciardo feel about battling at the back rather than the front?
“I'm excited about it,” he said. “It's a challenge for sure to jump in and try to hit the ground running. But also I guess I feel like I've been through a lot in the last few years where I'm not really scared of anything that's going to be thrown my way - so I actually really do like the challenge.
“It will be a challenge but I don't know if I'd have it any other way.”
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