Daniel Ricciardo made his highly anticipated return to Formula 1 at the Hungarian GP, and it’s safe to say it was successful. While he finished just outside the points in thirteenth place, he ensured he made AlphaTauri and Red Bull believe they made the right decision by calling him up. And he did it in proper Honey Badger style, fighting hard till the very end. Considering this was his first race back—and in taxing conditions no less—he can be proud of his first race outing in an F1 car after 8 months. Although he sounded disappointed about finishing outside the points, his race engineer felt otherwise. 

After a promising start from 13th on the grid, Ricciardo seemed to be making up places. That was until Zhou Guanyu—after a bad start from 5th—crashed into the back of his AT04 going into Turn 1, which pushed Daniel into the back of Esteban Ocon’s Alpine. And all the places Ricciardo gained in those first few meters had him tumbling down the order after his contact with Ocon. Considering the AT04 is arguably the slowest car on the grid, someone in his position might not have had a lot of hope to make up places, especially considering that overtaking at the Hungaroring is quite challenging. But this is the Honey Badger we’re talking about, and he had a point to prove.

After dropping to the back of the pack, Ricciardo started making up time and caught up to Logan Sargeant in 17th place, but the team decided to pit him for fresher tires and clean air. So on Lap 19, he changed his medium tires for fresh hards and caught right back up to the Williams. But he felt the mediums were working better on the AT04, so on Lap 30, he pitted again for mediums. And this time, not only did he come out in clean air, he had the pace to make up time quicker than he did with the hards. In the process, he made up five places to finish a convincing (yet disappointing for him) 13th.

After the race, he radioed his engineer to thank the team, saying, “Obviously, a shame with turn 1, but in clear air, we had a bit to show. Lots to learn. Thanks for the first weekend.” As Ricciardo said, the AT04 showed good pace in clean air, which would give the team something to work with. His engineer replied, “You should be pleased. One of the longest stints out there. Good pace. Clean race.”

Read More: After Ugly McLaren Split, Daniel Ricciardo’s Comeback Heroics Dubbed a Surprising Relief for Max Verstappen & Co.

Needless to say, Ricciardo managed his race well, made his medium tires last 40 laps, did everything right, and, most importantly, did what he had to do to keep his Red Bull dream alive.

Daniel Ricciardo started his AlphaTauri journey with the biggest W he could

As an F1 driver, your teammate is the first person you would want to beat. They’re your biggest rival. And for Ricciardo, that person is Yuki Tsunoda. And on his first AlphaTauri outing, he managed to beat Tsunoda, who’s been on the team since 2021. This year, the young Japanese driver assumed the team leader role while alongside Nyck De Vries. But after Ricciardo replaced him, the team leader position was up for grabs. And if Daniel keeps performing the way he did at the Hungarian GP, there would be no doubt who AlphaTauri would start favoring.

More importantly, this little win over Tsunoda will help keep Ricciardo’s Red Bull dream alive. With one seat in the team getting vacant in 2025 (most likely), Ricciardo must show he can beat Tsunoda race after race for Red Bull to give him a second look. And now that he’s got the first win under his belt—after overcoming a tough race—he’ll look to emulate this form in every race this season.

What did you think of Daniel Ricciardo’s performance in the Hungarian GP?

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