Daniel Ricciardo has revealed the mindset behind the gamble to step back into F1 with AlphaTauri. The Australian makes his return to the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix in place of Nyck de Vries after the Dutchman was ousted following a disappointing 10-race spell with the Faenza-based outfit. Ricciardo's decision to step back into the sport with AlphaTauri, which sits at the foot of F1's Constructors' standings, contradicts his decision to take a sabbatical with no hope of race-winning opportunities on the table following confirmation of his McLaren departure last year. But with Sergio Perez's struggles in qualifying leaving him 99 points behind teammate Max Verstappen and in danger of losing second in the Drivers' standings, Ricciardo now has the chance to apply further pressure to the Mexican. Referring to his first stint at AlphaTauri [formerly Toro Rosso], Ricciardo explained: “It feels a bit like back when I was working my way up through in the Red Bull family. "That was it: ‘If you get results, then we’ll keep pushing you, we’ll keep pushing you’. So that’s really the mindset."
Ricciardo outlines ambitions for AlphaTauri
While Ricciardo did not explicitly outline targets to return to Red Bull, he did highlight personal aims for his AlphaTauri return. Yuki Tsunoda has scored the team's only two points this season, with Alfa Romeo seven points ahead in ninth and Haas and Williams a further two points to the good. “I know it’s been tough for the team to get a points finish this year," he added. "So to push this car and try to get it inside the top 10, that would get everyone pretty fulfilled and excited."
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