Unconcerned About Daniel Ricciardo’s Fairytale Comeback, Red Bull Prodigy Sets His Priorities Straight

Daniel Ricciardo had to wait 6 months to finally get a much-deserved driver’s seat in F1. And he is already doing a decent job of proving his worth again. After testing in the simulator and helping Red Bull achieve their best, the Australian racer got an opportunity to see his name on the time charts in live races. But the other man who was also a contender for the AlphaTauri seat is least bothered about Ricciardo landing it.

Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson was the primary contender for replacing the underperforming Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri. But that was before the Honey Badger lit up Silverstone during testing. So, for Lawson, who is currently racing in Super Formula, it should have hurt a bit. But the New Zealand racer says that this F1 seat was not on his mind for 2023.

In an interview with Speedcafe, Lawson said, “With where AlphaTauri is at the moment, having someone experienced like Daniel was definitely helpful for the team. It wouldn’t have been the right thing to do, so it doesn’t change anything for me.”

For now, the junior driver wants to focus only on this season of Super Formula. And his plans for landing a seat in F1 shall take flight after 2023. He elaborated saying, “My target this season, my expectations from Red Bull, is to go to Super Formula, to try and win races and fight for the championship, finish the year out before looking at F1.”

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Though Ricciardo’s return hasn’t affected Lawson at all, there is one person who feels a bit out of place after the Honey Badger joined AlphaTauri.

Under Pressure, Yuki Tsunoda Gears Up for Fight With Daniel Ricciardo For the 2nd Half of 2023

No sooner has Ricciardo joined the AlphaTauri camp than he has put his teammate, Tsunoda under pressure. In his very first race at the Hungaroring, he finished in P13, ahead of his Japanese teammate, in P15. But Tsunoda recovered well at the Belgian GP and finished in P10, 6 places ahead of Ricciardo. Speaking about the same, Tsunoda has highlighted how Ricciardo’s presence in the garage is helping him to push his limits.

“I already know he is fast but also how he’s behaving in the team is like probably the opposite as me,” said Tsunoda. “So, lots of things to learn, a lot from him. It’s also a bit of pressure for myself and probably that made me rush and a couple of mistakes in the last couple of races. But I was able to put it all together in the last race. It was not easy. But just happy and feeling ready for a fight with him in the second half of the season.”

For AlphaTauri, replacing de Vries has worked out well. Their new driver is getting the best out of his teammate and they look set to script a better 2nd half of the 2023 season.

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