Daniel Ricciardo,
welcome back!
©Clive Mason via Getty Images
The Italian-Australian driver can return to smile and make us smile, from next weekend he will be AlphaTauri’s standard bearer in place of Nick de Vries who did not shine enough to deserve to stay. So off we go, a shot in the arm with the season already underway to restore confidence to those who, with confidence, really need it. Wrong choices, difficult choices, important projects poorly implemented, dreams and hopes broken by the need for an immediate escape from an untamed, case never flared fire.
In RedBull, politics is everything. It is known. If you’re not fast you’re out, if you fail you’re out. Daniel Ricciardo was a pawn who had been waiting a long time for a seat, a matter of time, a matter of races. And there it was. Promise kept. Back to the track, waiting for the other one, the one who wanted to fight for the title but is struggling to stay. Unlike the one who, instead, to his misfortune, has already jumped and lost his seat without warning. Dumped like a tuna at the market stall: Too slow for Helmut Marko, F1 runs, the clock waits for no one, and so you have to cut fast. Words will come, for that there will be time. As always.
Nick de Vries in short says goodbye to everyone with his last GP at Silverstone. But is it fair to leave like this?
It seems routine now, for RedBull to lay off without notice seems like a subscription. I find it a disgusting and unprofessional gesture as it gives no room for human relationships, assuming they still exist or ever existed in F1. But RedBull is not the only team to have adopted this behavior. Case in point? The rebellious genius who signed victories with the Senna – Lotus pairing by laying off, at any moment, Elio de Angelis. Who am I talking about? Colin Chapman. He too, like Marko, dumped the Italian for the Brazilian at any moment. Reason? Monetary matters, nothing more.
In short, years pass, drivers, cars, brands pass but the methods do not. Those always remain the same.
And now what should be expected from Daniel?
The Australian has accustomed us well: gripping overtakes, moves and countermoves that extinguish the initiatives of his opponents without giving too much leeway to each and every attack; Giant smiles, jokes, jokes, and constancy on the track. The one that a little was lost because of the choices made, certainly not happy, but necessary to recover some morale.
Is this the right time Daniel? For now all I can say is: Welcome Back!
Motorsport is beautiful
Where do you think Daniel Ricciardo will finish in Hungary? 💭 pic.twitter.com/WhNx9sqZMH
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 13, 2023
