Daniel Ricciardo: he’s coming back, but where and how?

After being fired by McLaren last year due to poor results, Daniel Ricciardo took a break from Formula 1 to regroup and regain the momentum needed to secure a seat in a top team. Amidst the rumors circulating, his realistic prospects remain limited and a return to a top team still seems a long way off.

The flamboyant Daniel Ricciardo is now a thing of the past. After leaving Red Bull, he never really found a seat that allowed him to express his full talent. His stints at Renault and then McLaren saw him trapped in teams preoccupied with their own performance issues, and his results suffered as a result. The only highlights were a podium finish for Renault and a victory at Monza with McLaren; otherwise, his record is meager. In 2023, he returned to his roots as a reserve driver at Red Bull and says he is ready to race again in 2024, but only with a top team. He is not interested in spending several more years battling in the middle of the standings. What realistic options are available to him for a comeback, and how could he rejoin a top team?

Behind the wheel of a Red Bull at Silverstone: the disguised test A few days ago, Ricciardo said that ending his career at Red Bull would be “a fairy tale.” But that dream is still a long way from being realized. After the British Grand Prix, he will be behind the wheel of a Red Bull for Pirelli tire testing at Silverstone. “Ricciardo will be behind the wheel for three days after Silverstone, during tire testing, and we will then be able to assess his position,” explained Helmut Marko. This could be the decisive moment of the year for the Australian, which could determine whether he returns to the starting grid. All the teams will be closely monitoring his performance. AlphaTauri: a good idea? One possible option would be a seat at AlphaTauri, but this comes with risks. The team is struggling to keep up, and a mediocre season would fall far short of Ricciardo's expectations. Red Bull could place him at AlphaTauri without guaranteeing him a return to the senior team. Furthermore, AlphaTauri is likely to favor its own young prospects supported by Red Bull, who could come knocking sooner or later. Ricciardo, who is older, could find himself ousted in favor of the new generation. Nevertheless, driving for AlphaTauri has one obvious advantage: staying in the Red Bull family. A good performance in the AT04 could give Ricciardo the opportunity to prove that he is still competitive and earn a promotion to the parent team. It would essentially be a year of rebuilding and getting back into racing shape, but the stakes are real: there is no guarantee of a seat at Red Bull, and he would have to surpass his own past records.

The Pérez factor Sergio Pérez must also be taken into account. Although his performance has declined recently, he remains Red Bull's most reliable driver after Max Verstappen. The team is unlikely to part ways with him easily. If Pérez returns to his best form for the rest of the season, Red Bull will have little interest in replacing him with Ricciardo, whose performance level remains uncertain.

Many questions remain about Ricciardo's future. Will he get his chance at Red Bull or will he first have to prove himself at AlphaTauri? How will Pérez's situation influence the final decision? One thing is certain: the Australian will have to demonstrate that he still has the speed and consistency to compete at the highest level of Formula 1.