Why Ricciardo's F1 resurgence may have emerged at the perfect time

OPINION: The Formula 1 world championship titles may have been decided but there remains plenty to fight for, with Daniel Ricciardo's stunning Mexico Grand Prix performance pushing AlphaTauri up two places in the standings - an increase worth around $20 million - and also heaping pressure on Red Bull driver Sergio Perez

Updated Nov 1, 2023, 3:48 PM

After Alex Albon produced a defensive masterclass at the Canadian Grand Prix, AlphaTauri was brushed to the bottom of Formula 1's 2023 constructors' championship standings. The two points it had scored, thanks to Yuki Tsunoda's brace of 10th-place finishes in Australia and Azerbaijan, looked like they'd only be added to in races of attrition thanks to a car that often went missing during races.

When the AT04 was launched, team principal Franz Tost targeted a top-six finish in the constructors' championship at an absolute minimum. Once the car's lack of performance was exposed, the Austrian was scathing in his assessment of the design team's efforts during a press conference at the Saudi Arabian GP, citing a lack of trust in certain individuals working there.

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Author Jake Boxall-Legge

Jake studied engineering at university, as his original ambition was to design racing cars. He was bad at that, and thus decided to write about them instead with an equally limited skillset. The above article is a demonstration of that. In his spare time, Jake enjoys people, places, and things.