Despite Oscar Piastri’s Exploits at Silverstone, Daniel Ricciardo Dubbed “The Perfect Number Two” for a Unique Quality That Fellow Aussie Lacks

If you aren’t aware, the F1 grid’s favorite Australian, Daniel Ricciardo, is back! The Australian secured the AlphaTauri seat, hopefully, for the rest of the season replacing Nyck de Vries. The Dutchman could not keep up with the expectations of Red Bull’s sister team and faced the unforgiving reality of life in Formula 1. This gave Ricciardo a way back in, a way back in he was looking for since the 2022 season after the untimely McLaren ousting. However, according to F1 veteran Peter Windsor, if it were up to him, the Australian would have never left, especially after Oscar Piastri’s incredible performance in the British GP.

Ricciardo felt immense pressure during his time at the Woking outfit as his performances deteriorated. However, in his British GP review video, Windsor expressed why Ricciardo shouldn’t have been replaced by his fellow countryman Piastri. He believes Ricciardo’s performance, albeit could’ve seen some improvement, worked in McLaren’s favor in the bigger picture.

“If I was Zak and I had this called Lando, I wouldn’t, in any way, annoy it by putting a guy as good as Oscar Piastri in the other car. I would have kept Daniel you know the perfect number two, if you like. There I said it,” said Windsor.

The British expert sees Piastri’s performance as a threat to Norris. He believes Ricciardo slotted in perfectly in the Woking outfit for them to see Norris become their no. 1 driver and lead the team to glory.

Read More: Daniel Ricciardo Could Cement Red Bull Return With Just One Requirement

The veteran Australian would’ve kept the McLaren internal ecosystem healthy. However, Ricciardo’s time at McLaren was difficult for everyone, especially for him.

Daniel Ricciardo reveals the relief of joining Red Bull after leaving McLaren

Despite his wide smile, the Australian was miserable driving for the Woking outfit, especially towards the end. We are all aware it was taking a toll on the usually happy-go-lucky Australian’s mental health, too. So despite the uncertainty about when McLaren communicated their desire to replace him and till he signed with Red Bull, the Australian was extremely felt elated after the dust settled.

In his statement to confirm his Red Bull return, Ricciardo said, “I’m Daniel. And this might look familiar. I’m back. Back to where it all started. It feels really nice, to say the least. There’s certainly a very warm, fuzzy feeling inside me. It’s nice to be back home. It’s cool, it’s made me very happy.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Will Daniel Ricciardo Get Swapped in for Sergio Perez at Red Bull? 

Albeit at the expense of de Vries, it’s all already working out for Ricciardo. Now we just need to wait and see if this AlphaTauri route leads him to the Red Bull seat.