F1, official: Daniel Ricciardo has made his choice

Ricciardo will be Red Bull’s backup driver

After statements made by Red Bull team manager Helmut Marko at Yas Marina, only officialdom separated Daniel Ricciardo from a return to the Austrian team.

It was announced by the Milton Keynes team itself via a statement explaining that the Australian driver will be the third driver, the backup to Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Ricciardo returns to Red Bull after having been there from 2014 to 2018.

Team principal Christian Horner commented enthusiastically on the announcement, “It’s great to bring Daniel back to the Red Bull family. He has tremendous talent and is brilliant on a character level. I know the entire factory is excited to welcome him home. In his role as a test driver and third driver, Daniel will give us the opportunity to diversify our activities, contributing to the development of the car and helping the team with his experience and knowledge of what it takes to succeed in F1. We are very excited to be working with Daniel again and look forward to all that he will bring to the team in 2023.”

No less delighted was Ricciardo, beaming at his return: “The smile says it all: I’m really excited to be returning as the third Red Bull driver in 2023. I already have so many good memories of my time here, but the welcome from Christian, Dr. Marko and the whole team is something I sincerely appreciate. For me personally, the chance to contribute and be surrounded by the best team in F1 is extremely attractive, and it also gives me some time to recharge and focus. I look forward to being with the team and lending my support in simulator work, test sessions and business activities.”