Ricciardo: At Red Bull you always have to be ready

Daniel Ricciardo will start this weekend in Hungary for the first time in 2023. The Australian racer and his AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda shared what they expect from the stage on the Hungaroring circuit.

Daniel Rickardo: “I’m glad to be back. In the Red Bull family you always have to be ready for the call and when I got this call I jumped at that opportunity.

The transition to AlphaTauri went smoothly. Last week I visited a base that has changed a lot since I was with the team ten years ago. However, I met many familiar faces and felt at home as we prepared for the upcoming race.

Tire testing for Red Bull at Silverstone last week went well. The AlphaTauri car is what it is – I will fly and work with what I have at my disposal. I don’t want to be biased – if the car is balanced I can work with it. It won’t be easy to get behind the wheel right away, but I’m looking forward to this challenge. I am also looking forward to using my experience to improve the car.

I think Budapest will be fun – I’ll try to use my right foot more than my left and have fun! On this track, the most important thing is to find the rhythm – if the car behaves well in the corners, then you can enjoy driving.

Yuki Tsunoda: “I look forward to working with Daniel. I can’t say I know him well, but we had a lot of fun in Miami when we took part in the shooting day. I think I will benefit from working with a very good and experienced rider. I can learn a lot from him and I expect him to help the team develop the machine.

I must say that I have enjoyed working with Nick de Vries over the past ten races. I learned from him and we got along well off the track. He has extensive experience in other race series, so he gave the right feedback based on his knowledge. Nick had a pace and I enjoyed spending time with him as a friend.

The team will bring some updates to Hungary in addition to what we had in the previous race. The characteristics of the Budapest circuit are different from those on which the previous two races took place, and slow corners should suit our car better than fast ones.

I like the track – it’s technical, difficult, but interesting. I have fond memories of a Formula 1 race in 2021 – I finished sixth after starting from 16th! I am optimistic because every race can bring new opportunities.

The team is motivated to take a step forward and develop the car further. I have left behind the events of the past races, especially Silverstone, and will arrive at the new stage in a good mood.”