2023-05-11 11:06:52
Ricciardo’s visit to AlphaTauri’s F1 factory in Italy for a seat fitting has sparked rumors that Ricciardo might replace Nick de Vries. But while rookie De Vries is in trouble, Ricciardo’s arrival at Faenza does not guarantee a driver change.
Rather, Ricardo’s visit is nothing special. In this season’s contract with Red Bull, there are races where he will serve as a reserve driver, but since AlphaTauri will also play that role, seat fitting is essential. Ricciardo has yet to drive an F1 car since joining Red Bull and his first run on the RB19 will be a tire test following the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. But Red Bull claims Ricciardo has rediscovered his lost form in the simulator and is back at his best, making him a clear candidate if AlphaTauri F1 chooses to replace him. De Vries has had a difficult baptism in his free season debut with AlphaTauri F1 and has yet to score a point and is often involved in incidents. His best results this season are 14th in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. He crashed in Australia and Baku and finished 18th in Miami following hitting Lando Norris on the opening lap. “As I always say, there is a learning process and a period of crashes because the driver has to crash to know the limits,” said Tost. “Because if a driver doesn’t crash, they don’t know the limit. No driver doesn’t crash. Sebastian[Vettel]came back on lap one in the early races with his front nose off. That’s part of the game.” But while De Vries won’t be under pressure right away, sources say the team’s senior management, especially Helmut Marko, will be replaced next month. He hopes to see some signs of progress before the Spanish Grand Prix. With a triple-header on the horizon at a course De Vries knows, there should be a better chance to assess his potential. That’s why his performances at Imola, Monaco and Barcelona will be crucial in determining his future. De Vries himself said he was looking forward to the opportunity at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Because we can expect a good performance from the team and it should be a more normal weekend. “There will be some kind of big update,” said de Vries. “So the weekend is kind of exciting, and of course it helps that it’s a normal weekend.”
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