(Motorsports news) Lately, on Tuesday, it appeared that Nyck De Vries had been dismissed after just 10 grand prix following a disappointing start to his F1 career with the Italian squad.

Alpha Tauri has now affirmed De Vries’ exit and has proclaimed that Red Bull’s third driver Ricciardo will step into the Dutchman’s seat for the remainder of the 2023 season.

“Scuderia AlphaTauri announces that Daniel Ricciardo will be entering the team on loan from Red Bull’s team for the remainder of the Formula 1 season, starting from the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix,” the Alpha Tauri team said in a statement.

“I’m very delighted to welcome Ricciardo back into the team,” added Franz Tost. “There’s no doubt about his driving skills, and he already knows many of us, so his integration will be easy and straight forward. The team will also profit a lot from his experience, as he is an eight-time Formula 1 grand prix winner. I would like to thank Nyck for his valuable contribution during his time with Scuderia AlphaTauri and I wish him all the best for the future.”

The 34-year-old Australian opted to take a sabbatical to rejuvenate his batteries after a demanding stint with the Woking team but has been keeping race ready and completed his first test with the current Red Bull RB19 on Tuesday.

Ricciardo has now 12 races at AlphaTauri to prove to Red Bull that he has been able to revamp himself after his departure in 2022, potentially with a view to challenging Sergio Perez for the Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen. 

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was quoted saying, “It is incredible to see Daniel hasn’t lost any form while away from racing and that the strides he has been making in his sim sessions translate on track.

“His times during the tyre test were excessively competitive. It was a very remarkable drive and we are excited to see what the rest of the season brings for Ricciardo on loan at Scuderia AlphaTauri.”

Also read: 10 things we learned from the F1 British Grand Prix 2023