Ricciardo has a dream, but 'pointless that I think about it'

Daniel Ricciardo has made no secret of it in recent weeks: the Australian wants to take over Sergio Perez's seat at Red Bull Racing. Whether that is all real or not, Ricciardo does not want to speculate on that, he revealed after his first Grand Prix for AlphaTauri last weekend at the Hungaroring.

Naturally, the Formula 1 world watched Ricciardo's first appearance for the Italian team with great interest. While points were not forthcoming, the Perth-born veteran certainly did not disappoint. On his debut, Ricciardo delivered the team's best Saturday performance since the Monaco Grand Prix and its best finish since Barcelona in early June (13th).

Ricciardo has no expectations

Sergio Perez - the man Ricciardo is keen to replace in '24 - finished on the podium but (again) had a difficult qualifying session. Yet Ricciardo refuses to blind himself to what might or might not be possible. "That’s, call it the dream, so to speak," Ricciardo told Speedcafe about a return as one of the drivers at Red Bull Racing. "But there’s no point me thinking about that. There’s going to be a lot of work to do here. I think in terms of expectation, there is none."

After the Pirelli test at Silverstone, Ricciardo finally regained the incentive to race. The Australian confessed to having missed Formula 1 in Hungary. And where his comeback will lead? "I just want to be in the moment enjoying it, not thinking too far ahead," he said.

Perez still has an ongoing contract for 2024, and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has already made it clear on a regular basis that he will honour his commitments. Ricciardo's commitment with AlphaTauri - who is on loan from the Austrians to the sister team - expires after this season.