Ricciardo decided to leave the racing team after 2022. This was because he and McLaren had an unsatisfying time together. He at first thought of joining another team, but then he concluded that it would be better if he helps Red Bull as their third driver for a year.
Red Bull is planning to use Ricciardo for testing and reserve duties in 2023. So, they put him back into their simulator so he can get used to the new car developments. They also noticed that while working at Renault and McLaren, Ricciardo had picked up some bad driving habits.
Christian Horner from Red Bull said: “When you drive a car with its own limits, you learn to work with it and try to get the most out of it. When Daniel came back, we noticed that he had developed different habits than when he left us a few years ago.”
Daniel Ricciardo had some free time during the Christmas break and he used it to reset. Because of that, when he got back to working on his 2023 car, he already hit the ground running. His performance was pretty good in the virtual world which confirms what we’re seeing in real-world racing! Here’s a photo of him standing on Red Bull pit wall.
” Daniel really wants to have a chance to drive the car so that he can prove he’s still got it. We’re seeing him getting back to being more like his old self again.”
This weekend Ricciardo is going to his first race of the year in Australia and he’s dedicating himself to becoming a part of Red Bull’s racing team.
Team leader Horner stated: “Ricciardo has been putting all of his effort into this, sitting through all the important meetings, and spending time in the UK working on simulators for races as well as development activities related to that too.”
“It’s great to have Daniel around because he brings a lot of positive energy, and it is fantastic to see the big smile on his face. He also makes an entire room happier when he arrives.
We’re hoping that Daniel will find his joy for sports again and do some tests with us later this year to see how it goes. It must be hard for him not to participate in races this weekend, but he is embracing this opportunity.”
