LONDON, United Kingdom, Mar 22 – Australian Daniel Ricciardo signed on as a development driver for Red Bull in 2023 but seems increasingly unlikely to have any involvement in a Formula 1 race day.
Ricciardo was effectively on a one-year sabbatical after negotiating an early release from his McLaren contract but decided to join Red Bull to spend the 12 months in a “familiar environment” and make sure he stayed on the minds of those in Formula 1.
However, despite his new role, he has not been present at either race in the 2023 season so far and comments from Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko and AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost make it seem as if he never will.
Helmut confirmed to the media that, should Sergio Perez or Max Verstappen be unable to race a Grand Prix for any reason, they would likely turn to junior driver Liam Lawson instead of using Ricciardo.
This opinion was echoed by Tost, who admitted that AlphaTauri could “theoretically” use Ricciardo as they are a sister team to Red Bull, but would probably not do so if the situation arose.
“I would prefer not to see it happen. There are young drivers like (Liam) Lawson, like Dennis Hauger. I think we would focus mainly on young drivers,” Tost said.
With all that being said, it begs the question of why on earth Red Bull decided to bring Ricci.
