'Nyck de Vries replaced by Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri’

Nyck de Vries will be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri effective immediately, according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. 

It had been known for a while that Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko was not satisfied with the performance of Dutchman. He was given a seat in Formula 1 after an excellent spell at Williams. Red Bull's Austrian consultant, who divides all seats at the team and sister team AlphaTauri, was charmed by the hard-working former Formula 2 champion.

'De Vries sacked'

The Italians were initially very fond of De Vries. He was of great value to the racing team with his experience and feedback. From there, things went downhill. The AT04 turned out to be a loft and teammate Yuki Tsunoda stole the show every week, maximising results. De Vries managed to score no points in ten races.

Marko earlier gave De Vries the yellow card, saying that signing him probably "had been a mistake". Later, the advisor shared that he could not promise that the Dutchman would still have his seat at Zandvoort: "We have to look to the future, but we are evaluating his performance and if necessary, decisions will be made." That moment seems to have come now.

His best overall finish in 2023 was 12th in Monaco. Teammate Tsunoda was faster than De Vries in seven out of ten qualifying sessions.

'Ricciardo back in F1'

Daniel Ricciardo has returned to the Red Bull team after a very unhappy spell at McLaren early this year. The Australian and eight-time race winner returned as a test and reserve driver. Within the Red Bull team, he impressed with his speed in the simulator and with his pleasant personality. Red Bull will now give him another chance to prove himself in Formula 1. Conversely, it gives the team a chance to compare Ricciardo's speed with Tsunoda's.

Daniel Ricciardo will replace the Dutchman from Hungary onwards, writes De Telegraaf. The stories have not yet been confirmed by AlphaTauri nor Red Bull.