Early F1 return a springboard for Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo hopes racing in the Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix will prove a springboard when F1 returns from the summer break.

The Australian had been sidelined in 2023 after agreeing to part ways with McLaren at the end of last season.

Having taken on a third driver role, Ricciardo was expected to perform some tyre testing and demonstration runs for Red Bull squad, on top of a handful of paddock appearances.

However, just 10 races in and off the back of an impressive performance in tyre testing in the days following the British Grand Prix, Ricciardo was called into action for Scuderia AlphaTauri.

“When I got the call up, in my head, I was like, ‘Oh, okay’, I thought we’d probably just wait for the summer break,” he said when asked by Speedcafe how valuable the two races before the break were.

“But I’m actually really glad I got these two before the break because it gives me something to certainly think about, build on, throw some questions back to the team.”

Prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ricciardo had never driven the Scuderia AlphaTauri AT04 – indeed, he’d had limited time at the wheel of a 2023-spec machine.

However, he’d put in promising performances in the Red Bull simulator, and there was that outing at Silverstone which showed the Red Bull top brass that he was still capable.

He demonstrated that in Hungary, out-qualifying and out-racing team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, a driver considered by many of his peers to have had one of the best starts to the year (even if results don’t show it).

In Belgium, things were a little tougher as Ricciardo struggled with tyre degradation in the F1 Sprint before a lack of grip in the race saw him running towards the back.

The Australian isn’t getting carried away. He knows there will be a period of adjustment as he learns the team, the car, and the latest spec-Pirelli tyres – which have changed since he raced in 2022.

It’s why the seat time prior to the break was so important.

“I feel like we’re going to get to Zandvoort being much better prepared than if Zandvoort was my first race,” he said.

“I think it kind of springboards us a bit better into the second half of the season.

“For me, I obviously I know where my fitness is at, so I can work during the summer break now and on the off-season, so while everyone’s sipping Pina Coladas or whatever you want to call them, I’ll be in the gym.