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Daniel Riccardo Labelled a “Huge Risk” To F1 Teams

Published 09/08/2022, 1:56 AM EDT

It is a no-brainer that McLaren signing Oscar Piastri for the 2023 F1 season leaves Daniel Ricciardo without an F1 seat. The decision may have been taken due to his dip in form and one former F1 driver believes any team hiring Ricciardo will face “a huge risk.”

Former Force India driver Paul di Resta recently opened up on Daniel Ricciardo’s row. As the ‘Honey Badger’ is still without a team, the only potential place for the Aussie seems to be Alpine (fka Renault), i.e. the team he left to join the Woking-based constructor.

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Talking about the possibilities of Daniel Ricciardo to Alpine, the British-Scottish former driver shared, “On the basis of where he is at the moment, it’s a huge risk, isn’t it? I would have said a couple of races ago I would have given him a chance [for 2023].”

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“But Daniel is too good to sit on the sidelines as well. But at the same time, the performance at the moment is just not working. I don’t know what’s not working, that’s the thing about it, and I don’t understand how he can turn it around.”

Pierre Gasly over Daniel Ricciardo for Paul di Resta

Paul di Resta further talked about Alpine and their potential signing. Even though nothing is concrete as yet, Di Resta thinks Pierre Gasly is a better choice than Ricciardo to partner with Esteban Ocon. The Frenchman is without a partner as Fernando Alonso announced he will drive for Aston Martin next season.

Alpine was in controversy over Oscar Piastri – McLaren signing, which got resolved last week. McLaren, who signed the Alpine reserve driver, left the French constructor searching for a driver to partner with Esteban Ocon in 2023.

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As per the report, Paul di Resta backed Gasly as the right pick. He said, “I think where [Alpine are] going, Pierre Gasly is the right choice at the moment. They haven’t seen a dip in performance like that [from him].”

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Over the course of the 2022 F1 season, Ricciardo has picked up one more world championship point than Pierre Gasly. ‘Honey Badger’ also trumped Gasly by five points in 2021.

As per points, both the drivers are at par. The only difference is the team they’re competing for. Which driver do you think will race for Alpine in 2023?

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Written by:

Sabyasachi Biswas is an F1 and NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. He has completed his Master's in Mass Communication and Journalism from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Sabyasachi is an ardent Red Bull and Max Verstappen fan and has been following the sport for over a decade now.

Edited by:

Reubyn Coutinho

Daniel Riccardo Labelled a “Huge Risk” To F1 Teams

Pierre Gasly over Daniel Ricciardo for Paul di Resta

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