On Tuesday we learnt of the return of Daniel Ricciardo to AlphaTauri F1 Team, but what was the real reasoning behind this?
To begin we must start with Nyck De Vries', quite frankly appalling, Formula 1 debut season. The Dutchman has finished 14th or lower in 9 out of the 10 Grands Prix this season (his only other result being 12th). De Vries sits 20th in the Drivers Standings and is one of only two drivers to have not scored a point this season. At 28 years old, it is unlikely that he will make great improvements in future seasons.
The reasoning for the decision to sack De Vries is relatively clear, but the decision to appoint a 34 year-old Daniel Ricciardo is less obvious. The main factor can be traced back to Sergio Perez's recently underwhelming performances. The Mexican has failed to qualify for Q3 the past 5 race weekends. Putting Ricciardo and Tsunoda in the same car will allow Helmut Marko (and Red Bull Racing) to evaluate both of their abilities, and potentially pick a Checo replacement.
Tsunoda and Ricciardo both come with their differing benefits and risks as second driver to Verstappen.
Tsunoda has been pitted against F1 rookie Nyck De Vries for the entire season, and therefore whilst he appears to be performing well, it may simply be Nyck's underperformance. Should Tsunoda beat Ricciardo across the back end of the 2023 season, he will have finally proven himself and Red Bull may have their Number 2 driver for next year. Appointing Yuki would come with the benefits of his age (23 years old) and consequently his potential to improve. However there is a significant risk: Tsunoda has never competed at the front of the field.
Conversely, if Daniel impresses over the last 13 races of the season, Red Bull can choose to appoint a more experienced driver to accompany Verstappen. This would be beneficial as Ricciardo has proven himself at the front of the field before, with 8 race wins. Additionally, on Tuesday he reportedly impressed with his Pirelli Tyre Test times in the Red Bull car. Ricciardo could help ensure Red Bull's 7th Constructor Championship if another team is to challenge them next year (assuming they are Champions this year).
Therefore, the appointment of the Australian to AlphaTauri has largely been part of a bigger plan to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull (if he continues to disappoint). I believe that the second half of the season will be used to measure both AT drivers and this is the primary reason for Ricciardo replacing De Vries. A third (yet also desirable) potential outcome is that this driver swap will put pressure on Checo and he will return to his best: Perez was the perfect number two driver to Verstappen who is competing for a WDC every year.
It will certainly be interesting to see which driver (if any) prevails and whether they are given a promotion to Red Bull Racing. This weekend will be Ricciardo's first race back, at the Hungaroring, and his first opportunity to impress.
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