Daniel Ricciardo makes 'cool' F1 statement he 'hasn't said in a while' before Hungary GP
Daniel Ricciardo will make his eagerly awaited F1 return at this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.
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Daniel Ricciardo has admitted his F1 return is “cool” as he made a rare statement to fans ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Australian is excited for the race weekend with just days to go before Ricciardo’s race return at the Hungaroring.
In a social media statement, Ricciardo celebrated his race return while joking at his own F1 sabbatical. He tweeted: “Race week. Haven’t said that in a while. Cool.”
Ricciardo was ditched by McLaren at the end of last season, leaving the 34-year-old without a seat for 2023. Red Bull picked up the eight-time race winner as a test and reserve driver to focus on commercial activities and simulator duties.
However, Ricciardo was handed a promotion to drive for AlphaTauri last week as Nyck de Vries was axed. The Dutchman had failed to impress Red Bull bosses after failing to score points in 10 races.
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The decision came as Ricciardo starred in a Pirelli tyre test just days after the British Grand Prix. It is understood Ricciardo performed well on all three compounds while his best time would have been quick enough for the front row of the grid at Silverstone.
Ricciardo last drove for AlphaTauri under its previous guise, Toro Rosso, back in 2013 before his promotion to Red Bull. After the announcement, Ricciardo admitted he had “fallen out of love” with F1 before his exit last year which had dented his confidence
However, Ricciardo admitted he started to “feel like himself” after a few sessions on the simulator and the “positive” vibes at Red Bull. The Aussie claims he is getting the “bug back” to compete after attending races and sitting on the pit wall at Silverstone last week.
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He told F1: "I've enjoyed these six months off, and it was really good for me, but the more races I started to attend, the more sims I've started to do, I was getting the bug back. And then jumping in the car a few days ago I thought, 'Oh yeah'. It all felt very normal, very familiar.
"I didn't really need to think too much about (accepting the call to return). I think being back in this family, I'm kind of going through it all again...there was no question I was going to say yes."