Daniel Ricciardo’s return to Formula 1 was met with an unprecedented level of excitement from fans – and some of the media – from all over the world. But the AlphaTauri driver certainly isn’t resting on his laurels with his new full-time seat, revealing a crucial change in his approach that could see the Australian realise his lofty ambitions further up the grid.
It was the news that every Australian Formula 1 fan wanted to hear: Daniel Ricciardo will race again in 2024. It was inevitable, given the AlphaTauri driver’s reputation within the sport and the storied career he’s enjoyed since making his Formula 1 debut more than a decade ago, that Ricciardo wouldn’t be away from the sport for long.
As fans were beginning to wonder when they’d see the Honey Badger grace the asphalt again, he was brought back into the Formula 1 setup with Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri, replacing the underperforming Nyck de Vries to lift his new team off the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship.
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Of course, Ricciardo hasn’t had the best of times in recent years and his mixed fortunes in F1 have been well documented. From his difficult exit from his former team McLaren at the end of the 2021/22 season, to his fabled return to the Red Bull setup, Ricciardo started this season in an unfamiliar position: without a full-time seat in Formula 1…but what a difference a year makes.
Now 34, Ricciardo’s return to the racing team where he first made his name in F1 all those years ago represents a new challenge for the 8-time Grand Prix winner. But clearly, the AlphaTauri driver won’t be taking anything for granted when we see lights out in Bahrain for the start of the new season, revealing to the F1: Beyond The Grid podcast that a change in approach could represent the best opportunity to achieve his goals this year.
“I’ve definitely cut back on a lot of things, let’s say, outside of racing, for sure,” he said. “I still have some other interests outside of the sport, which I’m involved in, and I enjoy, but I’ve minimised a lot.”
“I’m really just trying to, I think, make sure that… I think it always has been, but to obviously make the racing the priority. With the calendar now and the schedule, if I’ve got some time off, then I’m either in the gym or I’m putting my feet up and recovering for the next race.”
It’s no secret Ricciardo wants to fight for titles again and the Australian driver will enter this season with renewed optimism, with a potential spot at his old team Red Bull becoming available with the conclusion of Sergio Pérez’s contract at the end of this year.
The Australian driver’s performances in the AlphaTauri will be crucial, not only to his ambition further up the grid, but to his future within the sport, and a new approach will certainly determine which team’s colours he’ll be wearing in 2025.