Ricciardo not expecting 'slow start' to AlphaTauri return

Daniel Ricciardo does not expect that it will be a "slow start" on his return to Formula 1 with AlphaTauri. After being dropped by McLaren at the end of 2022 due to lack of performance, the Australian elected to return to Red Bull as their reserve driver. Now he is being drafted in as a replacement for Nyck de Vries, whose performances have also not met the expectations of the team. AlphaTauri have only scored two points so far this year, with Ricciardo saying Red Bull expects him to perform for the team in conversation with F1.com : “They expect results – performances - It’s hard to define. "I think until I get in the car, it’s hard to define what that is. Is it a P8? Is it a P14? I don’t think there’s pressure."

Ricciardo wants to hit the ground running

Ricciardo has admitted that his initial performances will depend on how well he understands the AT04, which has seen both de Vries and Yuki Tsunoda struggle so far this season. He hopes to hit the "ground running" with the team and utilise what he has learned while being outside of the car for the the first half of the season. "There’s two races and then the summer break. I don’t think there’s ‘you have to do this before August’, but I also don’t expect to get off to a slow start," he added. "I want to hit the ground running and also use what I’ve learnt in this time off to put it to use.”