Ricciardo makes "high-risk return": "Unless it comes with another deal"

Martin Brundle believes that Daniel Ricciardo is taking a big risk by joining AlphaTauri, although the commentator thinks there may be a future seat for him at Red Bull Racing. On Tuesday, the Formula 1 world learned that the cheerful Australian is returning to the pinnacle of motorsport as a replacement for Nyck de Vries. Brundle sees that Ricciardo must have one very important goal in mind: to beat Yuki Tsunoda.

Ricciardo had to wait on the sidelines for a new opportunity for about six months. Brundle is glad to see the driver back, but the reporter did not see it coming. "I'm really pleased to see him back, but my honest reaction was, 'wow. Daniel's really going to do that, is he?' It surprised me," Brundle tells Sky Sports. "Daniel has always talked about losing his mojo and needing to find his enthusiasm again, so I didn't think he would do it unless there was another deal involved."

Due to Sergio Pérez's recent lesser form, there is speculation that Ricciardo may take over the seat alongside Max Verstappen in 2024. However, according to Brundle, it is not a done deal yet. "It's high risk for Daniel because he probably has the slowest car on the grid. He has to beat Tsunoda, he absolutely has to. Maybe he can outperform the car. If he can get the car near the top ten and keep it there in the race, then maybe it will be his salvation in that respect."

Brundle feels sorry for De Vries

De Vries was the victim of the choice made by Helmut Marko and Christian Horner. Brundle feels sympathy for the Dutch driver, although the British commentator observed that things were not going smoothly. "I am sad for Nyck because I know he is better than that. He hasn't even had half a season yet in what is clearly a difficult car, and his teammate is a lot more experienced. Has it gone well for Nyck? No. Quite clearly to me, desperation has crept into his driving in recent races, quite a lot of desperation," Brundle concludes.