Daniel Ricciardo Replaces Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri for Remainder of 2023 F1 Season | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Andrew Mccoy
Published Mar 23, 2026
Formula One announced Tuesday that Daniel Ricciardo is replacing Nyck de Vries in AlphaTauri's No. 1 car for the remainder of the 2023 season.
Per ESPN's Nate Saunders, the move comes after it was announced that Ricciardo would be taking part in a tyre test for Red Bull Racing on Tuesday at Silverstone Circuit, which is the home of the British Grand Prix.
Ricciardo had been Red Bull Racing's third driver this season behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, meaning he was essentially in a backup role.
Both Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri are owned by Red Bull, and Ricciardo is now in line to team with fellow AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda for the rest of the campaign.
The 34-year-old Ricciardo broke into F1 in 2011, and he is perhaps best known for his time with Red Bull Racing from 2014 through 2018.
During that stint, the Aussie registered seven of his eight career race wins. He also finished a career-best third in the standings in both 2014 and 2016.
After departing Red Bull, Ricciardo raced two years for Renault and two years for McLaren, winning a total of one race over those four seasons.
Ricciardo finished eighth in the standings in 2021 and 11th last season, the latter of which was his worst overall finish since coming in 14th with Toro Rosso in 2013.
The 28-year-old de Vries had been in the midst of his first season as a full-time F1 driver, but the Dutchman has struggled mightily with no finish better than 12th over the course of 10 races.
Ricciardo gives AlphaTauri an accomplished veteran to lead the team, and he also gives Red Bull Racing a strong contingency plan.
As pointed out by Saunders, Perez's contract with Red Bull ends at the conclusion of the 2024 season, meaning Ricciardo could possibly take his spot beginning in 2025 if he races well for the remainder of this season and in 2024.
Ricciardo's first chance to impress at AlphaTauri will come on July 23 in the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring track in Mogyoród, Pest County, Hungary.
