Daniel Ricciardo claims Red Bull return made him feel he can do it again

Daniel Ricciardo had faced a lot of uncertainty over his future in Formula 1 after exiting from McLaren. However, the 34-year-old was handed a golden opportunity after driving for AlphaTauri (currently RB) replacing Nyck de Vries. Additionally, Ricciardo scored a contract extension till the end of the 2024 season. Following this, the Aussie reckoned that this opportunity made him believe in himself.

Daniel Ricciardo has not been scoring well against his Japanese counterpart Yuki Tsunoda. The Aussie driver still had a few highlight moments in the 2024 season. However, speaking upon a final chance with the Red Bull family, Ricciardo mentioned that the ‘difficult environment’ in the team unlocked his potential.

It's not an easy environment but somehow unlocks the most of my potential.

Daniel Ricciardo via gpblog.

The 34-year-old returned to AlphaTauri after serving Red Bull as the reserve driver for a few months. Ricciardo recalled that he received a warm welcome from everyone on the grid. Returning to racing gave the him a ‘sense of belonging.’ Finally, Daniel Ricciardo noted that he believed in himself and his performance and that he could do it all once again.

The feeling I had was that everyone was like oh he's back and it was warm. I had a real sense of belonging. People created the environment to make me feel like I can do it again.

Daniel Ricciardo added.

Daniel Ricciardo felt ‘some familiarity’ when he returned to Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo had a great history with Red Bull racing in the pinnacle of motorsport. The Honey Badger had won multiple races with the Austrian constructor. However, the Aussie had to leave the team amidst growing tensions. Regardless, returning back to the same family meant that the 34-year-old found some familiarity.

Ricciardo recalled that he had some doubts over how the Red Bull crew would welcome him especially after he left the team back in 2018.

There was some familiarity. I think also when I got back into the Red Bull factory and into the simulator, I wasn't sure what to expect if the people would be warm to me or if they would be like ‘ah you left but we don't want you back

Daniel Ricciardo noted.

Hence, the 2024 season has been nothing short of a surprise for the Australian driver. There were multiple doubts over Ricciardo’s future in Formula 1 with the Red Bull family. However, the team had previously hinted at retaining their lineup after declaring that they were happy with their current drivers.

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