Daniel Ricciardo returns to Red Bull cockpit ahead of crucial Silverstone test

Jamie Woodhouse 04 Jul 2023 6:30 PM

Daniel Ricciardo wears a floral bucket hat in Canada.

Daniel Ricciardo has three days of testing in current Red Bull machinery on the horizon, but ahead of that he took to the wheel of a past Red Bull challenger for a very good cause.

Ricciardo is back with Red Bull Racing for F1 2023, having formerly raced with the team between 2014-18, scoring seven race wins in that time.

An underwhelming two-year stint with McLaren from 2021-22 would result in Ricciardo’s contract being terminated one year early, clearing the way for him to return to the Red Bull fold as their reserve driver.

Daniel Ricciardo accepts The Baton of Hope

Ricciardo will be at the wheel of Red Bull’s all-conquering F1 2023 challenger, the RB19, for three days at Silverstone following this weekend’s British Grand Prix as part of Pirelli tyre testing duties.

But ahead of the British GP race weekend, Ricciardo, who has Red Bull promotional work included in his current deal, was at the wheel of a past challenger in the team’s home town of Milton Keynes to raise awareness for a special cause.

The Baton of Hope has been on tour around the United Kingdom as a symbol of suicide awareness and prevention, the largest initiative in the UK, and Ricciardo played his role in welcoming it to a new city as he headed the parade section through the Red Bull base, Ricciardo holding the baton aloft from the Red Bull cockpit and taking in the applause of onlookers.

It's impossible to thank all our#MiltonKeynesBaton bearers in a single tweet.

From the MK Rose, to Stadium MK, to@mkcouncil, to a@redbullracingF1 car driven by@danielricciardo, to@StressSessions, and many more, we could not have spread our message of#hopewithout you.pic.twitter.com/6N1UDVhADE

- BatonOfHopeUK (@BatonOfHopeUK)July 4, 2023

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Red Bull to see where Daniel Ricciardo stands in Silverstone test

For Ricciardo, a key pull factor in joining Red Bull as their reserve driver, rather than pursue a seat on the F1 2023 grid, was that opportunity to switch off from the full force F1 circus and rediscover his love for the sport.

Ricciardo is now targeting a return to Formula 1 for 2024, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner saying the Aussie has “rediscovered his mojo” since returning to Red Bull, while Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko says the Silverstone test will allow the team to “evaluate where he really stands”.

A return to Red Bull is what Ricciardo has said would be his “fairytale” final chapter in F1, and there remains potential opportunities within the Red Bull ranks.

Max Verstappen’s current Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez will need to build on his strong recovery drive to P3 in Austria, having seen his run of Q3 absences extend to four in a row there, despite driving the clear dominant car of Formula 1, while Nyck de Vries over at sister team AlphaTauri is struggling in his rookie campaign.