Red Bull move offers Ricciardo best chance of instant F1 comeback – Brown – Autosport

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.”
Ben Sulayem dismisses talk of ‘bad relationship’ with F1 management
Binotto resigns as Ferrari F1 team principal
Red Bull cost cap sanction fair despite F1 rivals wanting “blood”, says FIA
Verstappen domination did not make F1 2022 a turn off, says Brown
The key F1 management call Ferrari must make to avoid more defeat
How to win the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award
It’s one of the biggest prizes on offer in motorsport. But what are the key things to do to give you the best chance of winning £200,000 and a Formula 1 test?
Ferrari F1 race winner Patrick Tambay dies aged 73
Two-time Formula 1 race winner and Le Mans 24 Hours driver Patrick Tambay has died at the age of 73.
Red Bull cost cap sanction fair despite F1 rivals wanting “blood”, says FIA
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem thinks that Red Bull’s cost cap sanction was dealt with fairly this year, despite rival teams calling for “blood”.
Le Mans Virtual Series: Porsche Coanda dominate 500 Miles of Sebring
It was a Porsche Coanda 1-2 at the 500 Miles of Sebring, with Max Verstappen and James Baldwin fighting for third. Team Redline beat an inspired SIM Maranello for its second GTE win of the season.
How departing F1 boss Brawn views F1’s new rules – and the future
Multiple-title-winning designer and team boss Ross Brawn is finally leaving Formula 1 after nearly 50 years in motorsport. But he still has plenty of insights on what’s working and what comes next, as he revealed to Autosport in a far-reaching exclusive interview in Abu Dhabi
The key F1 management call Ferrari must make to avoid more defeat
OPINION: Mattia Binotto’s departure from Ferrari will naturally bring a range of changes across the Formula 1 team. But how the changes shape up and the impact they could have is set to be dictated by a key direction Ferrari’s top dogs will need to pick
The difference between Mercedes’ stumble and the fall of F1 giants
OPINION: Mercedes endured its worst season of the hybrid Formula 1 era, but was mercifully spared its first winless campaign in over a decade late on. It has owned up to the mistakes it made which led to its troubled W13. And while its task to return to title-challenging contention is not small, its 2022 season seems more like a blip than the beginning of a downward spiral.
The physical focus bringing out the best of an F1 midfield star
Esteban Ocon likes to point out he’s the first driver since Lewis Hamilton to emerge from a spell as Fernando Alonso’s team-mate with a superior overall points record. While some may disagree, as LUKE SMITH discovered, the 2021 Hungarian GP winner reckons it’s not just luck which has made him France’s pre-eminent Formula 1 driver of the moment…
How Red Bull’s dynamic leader shaped its F1 philosophy
The death of Dietrich Mateschitz last month has not only deprived Red Bull of its visionary founder, it has shorn Formula 1 of one of its most influential benefactors. Mateschitz himself was famously media-shy, preferring to let the brand do the talking on his behalf. And, while it’s now normal to speak of Red Bull F1 titles and champions made, Mateschitz never assumed it would be easy or even possible – as ANTHONY ROWLINSON discovered during this previously unpublished interview from 2006…
Can Mercedes break Formula 1’s cycle of doom?
OPINION: Teams that have dominated for long periods throughout Formula 1’s history often take years to get back to the top of the tree once they’ve slipped down. But it remains to be seen whether the same will happen to Mercedes after a challenging 2022 season
What hurt Perez most in his ill-fated fight for second in Abu Dhabi
Arguably the favourite in the battle to finish second best in 2022’s Formula 1 standings, Sergio Perez’s two-stop strategy at Abu Dhabi couldn’t take him ahead of Charles Leclerc when the music stopped – and several key factors ultimately precluded him from the much-coveted runner-up spot
The Abu Dhabi momentum that can propel Leclerc and Ferrari to F1 2023 success
OPINION: Charles Leclerc achieved his target of sealing runner-up in the 2022 world championship with a masterful drive behind Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi. And that race contained key elements that may help him, and Ferrari, go one better in Formula 1 2023

source