Red Bull move offers Ricciardo best chance of instant F1 comeback - Brown
Daniel Ricciardo has the chance to turn his Formula 1 career around "on a dime" after taking up a Red Bull third driver role, reckons former boss Zak Brown.
The Australian agreed on an early parting of ways with McLaren this year after the partnership had failed to deliver the results that were expected.
After weighing up his options for 2023, Ricciardo eventually agreed to become Red Bull's third driver for next season as he eyes a full-time return to racing in 2024.
And while some have questioned whether Ricciardo has taken the best route to keep himself in the limelight, McLaren CEO Brown believes that it could offer him an immediate chance to show he still has what it takes to win in F1.
He cites the example of former Mercedes reserve Nyck de Vries, who did such a good job as stand-in for Alex Albon at Williams at the Italian GP that he landed a race seat at AlphaTauri for 2023.
"Look at what happened with Nyck with one good session," said Brown. "All of a sudden he became hot property.
"So if one of those guys [at Red Bull] couldn't race for some reason, and he [Ricciardo] hopped in and all of a sudden he took that car to where it is now, it can just turn on a dime."
Asked by Autosport if the chance of a Red Bull outing was better for his prospect than having taken up a full-time seat with Haas, Brown said: "It's hard to tell. In one sense if you go to Haas and then you give it to [Kevin] Magnussen that's one way to kind of get back on the radar.
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
"The other is a [Red Bull] driver gets COVID, you're in a race-winning car, you go out to win the race, and you're back on the grid. So I think it's hard to say which will create the best opportunity."
Brown said he was taken aback that Ricciardo was not snapped up by other teams once it became clear after the summer break that he was available.
"I'm surprised some of the other teams that looked for drivers didn't select him," he said. "But also I think there were certain teams he wasn't interested in driving for. So maybe they would have selected him.
"But he clearly wants to stay in the game. He won Monza last year; eight races is a lot of races to win. So it's in there, we just weren't able to unlock it. And hopefully in another environment, something will unlock it, because I think we'd like to see Daniel on the grid."
Related video
Ben Sulayem dismisses talk of 'bad relationship' with F1 management
Binotto resigns as Ferrari F1 team principal
Diriyah E-Prix: Wehrlein holds off Dennis to charge to victory
Pascal Wehrlein made up eight places in the Diriyah E-Prix to take victory, holding off a late assault from Jake Dennis to take his second Formula E win.
GT3 Corvette Z06 unveiled for customer teams in 2024
Chevrolet has revealed the new Corvette Z06 GT3.R a year before it makes its competition debut at the 2024 Daytona 24 Hours.
Daytona 24: Cadillacs lead BMW in fourth practice
In the GTP teams’ penultimate practice ahead of the Daytona 24 Hours, Alexander Sims put Action Express Racing Cadillac on top from Ganassi, while Nick Yelloly lifted his BMW to third.
How women are tackling barriers in motorsport
Women’s participation in motorsport has hugely increased in recent years, with series such as W Series and Extreme E providing invaluable support for female drivers.
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? LUKE SMITH asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
When F1 ‘holiday’ races kept drivers busy through the winter
Modern Formula 1 fans have grown accustomed to a lull in racing during winter in the northern hemisphere. But, as MAURICE HAMILTON explains, there was a time when teams headed south of the equator rather than bunkering down in the factory. And why not? There was fun to be had, money to be made and reputations to forge…
What Porsche social media frenzy says about F1’s manufacturer allure
Porsche whipped up a frenzy thanks to a cryptic social media post last week and, although it turned out to be a false alarm, it also highlighted why manufacturers remain such an important element in terms of the attraction that they bring to F1. It is little wonder that several other manufacturers are bidding for a slice of the action
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.