It was not the return to competitive action Daniel Ricciardo had been hoping for.

Red Bull reserve Ricciardo took to the Miami waterways to take on AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda in mini jet boats that are just under six feet long (2.08m), and capable of top speeds of 30mph (48kmh).

The event was the first in a series of battles between the two F1 teams this season in what has been dubbed the (Un)Serious Race Series.

Unfortunately, for Ricciardo, it was first blood to AlphaTauri as the Australian was narrowly beaten by Tsunoda.

“When I first saw the mini jet boat, I thought that for once, Yuki can have the last laugh,” said Ricciardo.

“Normally, he’s the one getting a lot of stick about his size. He actually fit pretty good in this, and I looked out of place. It was built for Yuki and that’s about it.”

On his defeat, Ricciardo joked: “I blame the vehicle, it is always the vehicle, never the person behind the wheel.”

The result makes Tsunoda a two-time winner in Miami following his victory against double F1 champion Max Verstappen 12 months ago when they raced 700hp V8-powered swamp buggies.

You can catch Ricciardo and Tsunoda in action here…