F1 drivers welcome JUBILANT Ricciardo back to the paddock
F1 drivers welcome JUBILANT Ricciardo back to the paddock
It feels like a long eight months since Daniel Ricciardo last appeared on the F1 grid as a full-time driver at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but he returns this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix – and his fellow drivers are delighted to have him back.
This time he'll be racing with the team that gave him his first real opportunity in the sport, as he suits up for AlphaTauri (formerly Toro Rosso), back with the Faenza-based outfit that he raced for before joining Red Bull.
The ‘Honey Badger’ as he’s known by fans, was smiling in full force during Thursday’s media day for the Hungarian Grand Prix, revealing that in his time away from the sport he was able to spend time with friends as well as recharge his batteries.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton joked about the Australian’s reaction to not driving during the season, as he has attended all driver’s briefings with a smile.
Hamilton said: “Of course, he’s been here so I’m not really welcoming him back. He’s been in all the driver’s briefings. I’ve never seen anyone happier to not be driving. It’s the sort of thing where you would pay not to go to another driver’s briefing when you’ve been to as many as I have.
“Daniel just came in there for free when he wasn’t even racing, so he’ll be super up to speed and of course, as a sport, he deserves to be here.”
READ MORE: Christian Horner: The Red Bull giant and ‘Drive to Survive’ star
Drivers open their arms to Ricciardo's return
Fellow countryman Oscar Piastri shared his pleasure at the fact the grid now has two Australian drivers on it for the first time since 2013.
Piastri said: “It’s very cool, we’re from a long way away and it’s pretty rare to have two of us [Australians] at the same time. From a country with such a small population relative to Europe, it’s very cool to have two of us on the big stage.”
Ricciardo’s 2019 Red Bull replacement Pierre Gasly shared his excitement at seeing the Aussie back in F1, and as a former AlphaTauri driver, has a good idea what he's walking into.
“We talked with Daniel a bit earlier last week, and also with Nyck [De Vries] obviously," said Gasly. "I know them both. I think they’re two fantastic drivers and it’s great to see Daniel back on the grid and seeing what [is] up for grabs with him.
“He’s old enough and he knows Franz [Tost, the team principal] well enough to know what to do with him. I just think it’s great. He started there, he’s back there now. He still has plenty of years ahead of him and always enjoyed some battles with him on the racetrack.”
Sadly for Ricciardo, he won’t have the pleasure of driving the same RB19 he got to test at last week’s Pirelli tyre test, but his feedback will be crucial in helping AlphaTauri to improve their car, which has languished at the back of the F1 pack so often this year.
READ MORE: Best F1 TV commentators and presenters: GPFans Broadcaster Power Rankings
Related news
Ricciardo ready to be 'beat up' in Austin after long injury layoff
Embarrassing Ricciardo error revealed ahead of US Grand Prix weekend
Ricciardo told what he must do to earn Red Bull move
F1 team confirm Ricciardo return
Most read
FIA take action after Verstappen track limits mishap
F1 News Today: FIA make changes as Mercedes receive double penalty and Horner curses bad luck
Red Bull to replace driver at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Stroll issues Alonso Aston Martin contract verdict
Horner takes aim at Kravitz with savage jibe at Sky Sports pundit
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Nyck De Vries
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Australia 2023
- Grand Prix of China 2023
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
- Miami Grand Prix 2023
- Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
- AWS Gran Premio de España 2023
- Grand Prix du Canada 2023
- Grand Prix of Austria 2023
- Aramco Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Italy 2023
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
- Grand Prix of Japan 2023
- Qatar Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of the United States 2023
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
- Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860