Daniel Ricciardo‘s exile from Formula One is over with the veteran Australian driver set to be back on the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix a week on Sunday.
In the short-term, the eight-time grand prix winner will replace Nyck de Vries at Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri for the rest of the season.
In the longer term, the move could lead to him joining the all-conquering Red Bull main team again as world champion Max Verstappen’s No.2 – an outcome he recently said would be a “fairytale ending” to his career.
It is a remarkable comeback for the 34-year-old who was axed by McLaren at the end of last year – and replaced by another Australian Oscar Piastri – after two underwhelming seasons which included one shining moment, victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
Unable to find a drive this year, Ricciardo wound up as a reserve driver for Red Bull, for whom he had won seven grands prix.
But he so impressed in the support role that the organisation have opted for him to replace de Vries, who has been dropped after only 10 races.
With Piastri in Ricciardo‘s old seat at McLaren there are now two Australian racers in Formula One for the first time since Ricciardo and Mark Webber were both on the grid a decade ago.
“I’m stoked to be back on track with the Red Bull family,” said Ricciardo on Tuesday.
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