The only controversies that revolve around Daniel Ricciardo are about his mischief and pranks. It’s good to see the bright smile of Ricciardo back on track. However, this time the controversy is around his acceptance speech after the AlphaTauri announcement. In a very non-Ricciardo-esque fashion, the speech indicated short-term pain. What was this pain?

Daniel Ricciardo is finally back on the F1 Grid, not as an ambassador or third driver but as a full-time racing driver. However, not with the team that people were speculating about. Sergio Perez’s recent form at Red Bull has been miserable, to say the least. Many fans on social media asked for the Honey Badger to be back at Red Bull. While he is back with the “Red Bull Family,” it’s with their sister team, AlphaTauri. 

Alpha Tauri is arguably the slowest team on the Grid at the moment. While Yuki Tsunoda did pull out some magical performance to score points, the rest of the season has been lackluster. Maybe Daniel Ricciardo realizes this situation as it was visible in his acceptance speech. Ted Kravitz pointed toward this situation as he suggested that the Honey Badger isn’t happy to drive for the Alpha Tauri team. And in case Ricciardo isn’t able to improve on De Vries’ form, then it’ll be disastrous for his short stint at Alpha Tauri.

According to the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Ted Kravitz quoted Daniel Ricciardo, “I’m stoked to be back on track with the Red Bull family.” Kravitz then added, “He can’t even bring himself to say Alpha Tauri. He’s just saying… Because he cannot say I’m delighted to drive the Alpha Tauri maybe as it’s not a quick car. But he’s back on track with the Red Bull family. Maybe there’s some longer-term gain for Daniel Ricciardo. Might well be some short-term pain if he can’t do any better than Nick De Vries.”

Read More: “He’s the Guy to Beat Max”: Lando Norris’ Father Recalls His Childhood Exploits to Launch a Warning Shot at Defending Champ Verstappen

Whatever the case may be, Ricciardo is all set to complete the remainder of the season with AlphaTauri. Red Bull TP is delighted to have his former prodigy back in a full-time F1 seat. Let’s see what he had to say. 

Christian Horner is delighted to see Daniel Ricciardo back on the F1 Grid

Daniel Ricciardo was away from competitive F1 racing for about 8 months. As driving an F1 car is a very physical task, one needs to be in top shape. Despite being away, Daniel Ricciardo managed to stay fit and recently took the Pirelli tire test with Red Bull. Christian Horner praised the Australian, suggesting that he was impressed by Ricciardo’s lap times. The Red Bull TP looks forward to seeing Ricciardo back on track.

According to ESPN Christian Horner said, “It is great to see Daniel hasn’t lost any form while away from racing and that the strides he has been making in his sim sessions translate on track. His times during the tyre test were extremely competitive. It was a very impressive drive, and we are excited to see what the rest of the season brings for Daniel on loan at Scuderia AlphaTauri.”

Watch this Story: When Daniel Ricciardo Almost Had a Chance to Move to Ferrari

How do you think Daniel Ricciardo will perform at AlphaTauri?