Daniel Ricciardo reveals Red Bull expectations following AlphaTauri move

Daniel Ricciardo has spelled out what the Red Bull bosses are expecting of him as he makes his way back to Faenza and to AlphaTauri.

The Australian went from third driver to on the grid in rapid fashion when he was announced as Nyck de Vries’ replacement following a reportedly impressive showing during a Pirelli tyre test at Silverstone.

Red Bull acted swiftly, sacking the struggling De Vries after just 10 races and lining up Ricciardo to replace him from the next grand prix in Hungary.

Ricciardo has been in Fazena for a seat fit and has also given an interview to Formula 1 where he detailed what the higher ups are expecting of him as he drives for a Red Bull outfit for the first time since 2018.

“Just be a legend,” he joked. “They expect results and performances. I think until I get in the car, it’s hard to define what that is. Is it a P8? Is it a P14?

“Obviously, there’s two races and then the summer break. I don’t think there’s a ‘you have to do this before August’ but I also don’t expect to get off to a slow start, I want to hit the ground running and try and use what I’ve learned in this time off.”

Ricciardo’s return has been billed a potential audition for the Red Bull seat with Sergio Perez continuing to disappoint in recent races. Ricciardo has admitted that to end his career at Red Bull would be a “fairytale” and knows that if he puts in consistent performances he will be rewarded.

“It feels a bit like back when I was working my way up through it, through the Red Bull family,” the 34-year-old said.

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“It’s like ‘if you get results, we’ll keep pushing you.’ So that’s really the mindset.

“I know it’s been tough to get a points finish this year so [I will] push this car and try to get it inside the top 10. I think that would get everyone pretty fulfilled and excited.”

Ricciardo will partner Yuki Tsunoda in Budapest in what will be his first race since the 2022 season finale in Abu Dhabi with McLaren.

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