Daniel Ricciardo can be Pink Bull’s reserve driver subsequent season.
The Australian F1 star, who was dropped by McLaren in favour of Aussie younger gun Oscar Piastri for 2023, will rejoin his previous crew as their back-up.
There had been solutions that Ricciardo, 33, might have been onto his strategy to Mercedes for the same position, enjoying third fiddle to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
However Pink Bull chief Helmut Marko confirmed to Sky Sports activities that Ricciardo could be re-joining the crew as assist to drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
“Ricciardo can be our third driver,” Marko mentioned after first observe at this 12 months’s season finale in Abu Dhabi.
“We’ve so many sponsors, we’ve to do present runs and the like, so after all he’s one of the high-profile and best-suited.”
Perez’s contract ends on the finish of 2023, leaving the tantalising chance of Ricciardo bagging a race seat on the new constructors world champions for 2024.
His position as reserve driver will see him assist with testing the automobile, in addition to filling in if world champion Verstappen or Perez need to miss a race.
He can even function back-up at Pink Bull’s sister crew. Alpha Tauri.
Ricciardo’s time at McLaren was reduce quick after an underwhelming season, significantly when in comparison with his youthful crew mate Lando Norris.
The 33-year-old Aussie received the Italian Grand Prix for McLaren in 2021 however his efficiency has dropped off since then.
He beforehand received seven races for Pink Bull, ending third within the 2014 and 2016 seasons.
However he left the crew on the finish of 2018 to affix Renault after reportedly rising annoyed at changing into Verstappen’s quantity two.
