The two years at McLaren really drained the joy out of Daniel Ricciardo. The Mr. Smile was no longer smiling. It was hard to see Ricciardo making a comeback. However, joining Red Bull as a reserve driver seemed to have rejuvenated the HoneyBadger we knew. After all, as people say, home is where one’s heart lies. Before we knew it, Ricciardo was back with AlphaTauri. However, Red Bull has been called out by an F1 Journalist for ending Daniel Ricciardo’s comeback dream with the controversial new policy. What is this policy?
Daniel Ricciardo broke his wrists at the Dutch GP by crashing into the barrier. Liam Lawson was called up to replace the Australian and is doing super well. While Ricciardo is expected to make a comeback soon enough before the end of the season, Liam Lawson has presented himself as a worthy candidate. And topping it off is Red Bull and AlphaTauri’s new policy for the junior team. AlphaTauri has decided to shift focus toward developing the young talent for the main team.
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According to the F1 Nation podcast, Tom Clarkson said, “They’re changing the philosophy at AlphaTauri next year. They want the team to go back to being more of a young driver development team.” Explaining the structure and strategic changes, he added, “So, I think if they’re trying to make the team a place for the young drivers to be nurtured and developed, then Daniel Ricciardo who is not a young driver, it isn’t looking too good for him.”
Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 dream might be shattered once again. Things just don’t seem to be going his way. The McLaren disappointment was followed by the fractures at Zandvoort and now the policy changes at AlphaTauri. Even former F1 champion Nico Rosberg advised on the run of bad luck that Ricciardo has had.
Nico Rosberg on Daniel Ricciardo’s future
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Daniel Ricciardo’s luck hasn’t been on his side lately. Nico Rosberg emphasized the same as he advised on his wrist injury. Nico Rosberg explained how the injury might force Ricciardo to stay at AlphaTauri for another year, rather than making a plausible move to Red Bull. However, now even the AlphaTuari isn’t secured and is in danger.
According to the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Nico Rosberg said, “How unlucky has that been for Daniel, though? It’s incredible. He gets this chance to come back and he breaks his hand in a freak accident, so unlucky.” He added, “But I think this break could actually be the difference between him getting a shot at replacing Perez next year and having another year in AlphaTauri. I think the hand break could have the effect of putting him into one more year at AlphaTauri.”
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What do you think? Will Daniel Ricciardo continue racing with AlphaTauri come next season?
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