F1 News: Daniel Ricciardo Input "Really Benefited AlphaTauri" As Red Bull Chief Reveals
Christian Horner, Red Bull's team principal, has lauded Daniel Ricciardo's return to Formula 1, emphasising the Australian driver's pivotal engineering input to the AlphaTauri team. After a challenging stint with McLaren and stepping away from the sport, Ricciardo's reemergence has not only been a personal triumph but a substantial gain for his team.
Key Takeaways:
- Remarkable Comeback: Daniel Ricciardo's journey back to Formula 1 with AlphaTauri, facilitated by Christian Horner, marks a significant turnaround from his uncertain days post-McLaren. His renewed vigour and performance contrast sharply with his previous season.
- Invaluable Engineering Insights: Horner specifically praises Ricciardo's behind-the-scenes contributions, particularly in simulator work and engineering direction. These efforts have greatly benefited the AlphaTauri team, showcasing Ricciardo's multifaceted skills.
- Resilient Performances: Despite setbacks like a hand injury at Zandvoort, Ricciardo's latter-season performances have underscored his resilience and talent, proving his worth as a vital asset to AlphaTauri.
Christian Horner's admiration for Daniel Ricciardo's transformation since rejoining the sport is palpable.
"It’s great to see Daniel back in Formula 1," Horner told Sky Sports. “When he came to us, you could see he was pretty much done with Formula 1. He wasn’t enjoying it.
"But slowly that smile came back, that energy came back and certainly the tests he did in Silverstone for us midseason were truly, truly impressive and the work behind the scenes on the simulator.”
The decision to replace Nyck de Vries with Ricciardo post the British Grand Prix came as a shock to many, with the young rookie not yet able to show his full potential behind the wheel of the slow AlphaTauri. But with the Milton Keynes team shifting their faith to the Australian driver, it seems as though this was a good decision.
Despite losing time after he broke his wrist, Ricciardo was able to put his experience in the sport to good use, and according to Horner, this worked out very well for the Red Bull sister team.
“He deserved the chance in the AlphaTauri, he was unlucky then to break his hand in Zandvoort but I thought he drove very well this year.
"Most importantly, he put some engineering direction into the team with the experience he had and I think that really benefited the AlphaTauri team.”