Daniel Ricciardo would’ve woken up with one of those trademark Ricciardo smiles on his face this morning. Why? He’s getting to drive a Formula 1 car today for the first time since the 2022 Abu Dhabi GP. And it’s not just any car. It’s the RB19, Red Bull’s 2023 challenger, that’s been unbeatable this season. And with his time on track at Silverstone for the Pirelli tire test, he would hope to make the Milton-Keynes team believe he still has it in him to race in F1.

A few weeks ago, the Australian talked about how finishing his career driving for Red Bull would be his “fairytale ending.” Since then, there have been speculations that Ricciardo could get a seat at AlphaTauri, Red Bull’s sister team this year or maybe in 2024. The speculations were confirmed when Helmut Marko stated that Ricciardo’s performance during the Silverstone test would determine his future in the sport. While it was made pretty clear that he wouldn’t get a seat at Red Bull, a seat at Alpha was still up for grabs. And it might come sooner than expected. But his “fairytale ending” looks doubtful.

Christian Horner quashes Daniel Ricciardo’s hopes for a Red Bull return

Ricciardo is in speculation for Nyck De Vries’ seat at AlphaTauri. The Dutch rookie hasn’t had the best time in the Red Bull junior team. 10 races into the season, and he still hasn’t been able to score a championship point. And Red Bull might want someone experienced to fill his shoes till the end of the season. And that could be Ricciardo. According to Ralf Schumacher, as quoted by motorsport-total.com, “The decision [to replace De Vries mid-season] has been made, I’m pretty sure of that.”

AlphaTauri could be a path back to Red Bull for Ricciardo, which is why it seems the right thing to do for him. But Christian Horner quickly dismissed his hopes for a Red Bull return. According to Mirror, Horner said, “It’s not something that we’re planning, that’s for certain. I think it would have been a loss to the sport for him just to disappear, and I think I didn’t recognize the Daniel of the last couple of years. So I’ll be very interested to see what kind of job he does on Tuesday.”

Horner continued, “It’s an important test for Pirelli, but it’s also going to be great to see him back in a Red Bull car and see what he can do.” Ricciardo will treat the tire test as a test for himself as well—a chance for him to prove he still has it. And while Alpha Tauri might’ve looked like a step down for him, he’s ready to take any opportunity to return to Red Bull.

Read More: “Something I Would Look At”: Targeting a Red Bull Return, Daniel Ricciardo Ready to Swallow His Pride With a Major Compromise

Will Daniel Ricciardo take the seat at AlphaTauri if offered?

After racing for Red Bull from 2014 to 2018, AlphaTauri might seem like a step down for Ricciardo. And there’s no doubt it would be, considering the gap between both teams this year. When the Honey Badger was made aware of the prospect of joining Alpha, he didn’t seem too positive about it. But now, he’ll take whatever he can get.

In an interview with crash.net, Daniel revealed, “If that creates a path to get back here [Red Bull], then yeah it’s something I would look at because ultimately this is the place where I want to get back to.” He hasn’t let go of his dream to drive for Red Bull again and looks determined to make it happen.

Do you think Daniel Ricciardo made a mistake leaving Red Bull after 2018? And will he ever get a chance to race for the team again?

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