Despite an electrifying, points-scoring Formula 1 debut with Williams last year, Nyck De Vries has not had an easy time since. Soon after that race with Williams, the Dutch driver was signed to AlphaTauri to replace a departing Pierre Gasly. Now, as first reported by Dutch media, and now confirmed by the team and F1 itself, De Vries' F1 career has come to an abrupt end, with Daniel Ricciardo "on loan" from Red Bull set to take his seat for the remainder of 2024.
"I'm very pleased to welcome Daniel back into the team," said AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost, in a statement. "There's no doubt about his driving skills, and he already knows many of us, so his integration will be easy and straightforward. The team will also profit a lot from his experience, as he is an eight-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner. I would like to thank Nyck for his valuable contribution during his time with Scuderia AlphaTauri and I wish him all the best for the future."
Ricciardo simply said "I'm stoked to be back on track with the Red Bull family!"
After getting let go by McLaren last year, Daniel Ricciardo signed on with Red Bull as a reserve driver, with the aim of getting back in an F1 car eventually. The Australian enjoyed his best F1 years with Red Bull, notching up seven of his eight wins and two third-place championship finishes with the team. As AlphaTauri functions as a junior team for Red Bull, Ricciardo is the obvious choice to replace De Vries.
In 10 races, De Vries has been out-qualified Yuki Tsunoda eight times. The Japanese driver is also responsible for the underperforming AlphaTauri's only two constructor's-championship points. De Vries has a best finish of 12th at Monaco.
This isn't the first time a Red Bull-associated driver has been fired or demoted mid-season. The team famously swapped Danil Kvyat and Max Verstappen five races into the 2016 F1 season, giving Verstappen a chance at Red Bull and sending Kvyat to Toro Rosso, the predecessor to today's AlphaTauri. In 2019, the team did the same with Gasly and Alex Albon. Helmut Marko, Red Bull's motorsports advisor and the man responsible for setting driver lineups at the two teams, is not patient.
Ricciardo would doubtless like to be at a top team like Red Bull, challenging for wins and titles, but he has a good opportunity at AlphaTauri. If he can drag the dog-slow AT04 up through the mid-field and nab points wherever possible, he make himself appear to be an appealing replacement to Red Bull's struggling No.2, Sergio Perez.
Ricciardo tested the Red Bull RB19 today at Silverstone, and is set to make his AlphaTauri debut this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix. As for De Vries, he won Formula 2 and Formula E championships back-to-back, and when he finally got his F1 shot last year, he stunned. But time and Helmut Marko wait for no one.
This story was updated on 7/11/23 at 10:43 AM Eastern with confirmation from AlphaTauri and statements from Franz Tost and Daniel Ricciardo.
A car enthusiast since childhood, Chris Perkins is Road & Track's engineering nerd and Porsche apologist. He joined the staff in 2016 and no one has figured out a way to fire him since. He street-parks a Porsche Boxster in Brooklyn, New York, much to the horror of everyone who sees the car, not least the author himself. He also insists he's not a convertible person, despite owning three.
