Red Bull's Take on de Vries' Performance & Exit

Red Bull Team Principal, Christian Horner, has shed light on why Nyck de Vries' stint with AlphaTauri came to an end. Before joining AlphaTauri at the start of the current season, de Vries served as a reserve driver for Mercedes for three seasons. His recruitment followed a commendable substitute appearance with Williams at the Italian GP last year, where he secured a ninth-place finish.

However, de Vries' performance during this season, in comparison with his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, was lacklustre. He failed to score a point in the first 10 races of this year, a performance that Horner analysed in the F1 Nation podcast.

"De Vries was evidently facing a challenging situation," explained Horner. "Despite his inexperience in Formula 1, he's an experienced driver, and the expectations were high. It was generally felt that he was falling short of those expectations. This led us to consider alternative options."

Ricciardo Steps in

Horner continued, 

"From Red Bull Racing's perspective, Daniel Ricciardo was the most intriguing choice. Therefore, that's the decision we arrived at. The decision was executed quite swiftly, and Daniel is now set to compete in the Hungarian Grand Prix."

The Transition

As to when de Vries was informed about this transition, Horner said, 

"The decision came about quicker than anticipated, considering that we hadn't finished the test. Helmut [Marko] spoke with Nyck. Given that Helmut was the one who recruited him, it was only appropriate for him to break the news. I believe this conversation happened around the 11th lap of the test."

The Dutch Connection and Zandvoort Race

De Vries, along with Red Bull's Max Verstappen, was one of two Dutch drivers this season. This posed the question whether Red Bull might have allowed de Vries to participate in the home race at Zandvoort in August before making the switch.

Horner revealed the team's stance on this. 

"While it might seem tempting, it would mean keeping him in the car until after the summer break, which we found to be a complex proposition," Horner explained. "The situation had already been clarified, so we questioned the point in waiting."

Ricciardo's Return

He added, 

"If we've made a decision, it's best to act swiftly. We've now provided Daniel with 12 races to demonstrate what he's capable of." 

Ricciardo's return to F1 has been eagerly anticipated, with many predicting it will bring an exciting new dynamic to the competition.

Ricciardo's move to AlphaTauri isn't merely a speculation anymore; it's a reality that could potentially reshape the team's future. The official announcement comes shortly after the reports on Daniel Ricciardo signing with Scuderia AlphaTauri. Now, with Ricciardo stepping into the cockpit, fans and critics alike are eager to see how this switch influences the dynamic of the team and the wider grid.