When Daniel Ricciardo made his Formula 1 return earlier this year, he was always going to grab the spotlight. With a personality like his, and a character so widely adored, it was inevitable. But in anticipation of his return, no one really knew whether he’d have a McLaren-esque spotlight on him or like the one he had on him at Red Bull. Basically, will his return to AlphaTauri put the final nail in his F1 career coffin, or will reignite the spark he lost at McLaren? That was the question on everyone’s mind. Fortunately for Ricciardo, it’s the latter one he’s proved true.

When Ricciardo got the call-up, he knew he was coming into an environment where Yuki Tsunoda was flourishing. Tsinoda had been the No.1 driver throughout the year, and Ricciardo wouldn’t have wanted things to stay that way. After all, that’s the reason he left Red Bull in the first place. But following his Mexican GP masterclass, he’s not just helped himself, but also AlphaTauri.

Daniel Ricciardo has changed things up at AlphaTauri

Before the Hungarian GP, AlphaTauri had two drivers with practically no experience—Tsunoda and Nyck De Vries. While the information they shared was useful to a certain extent, nothing really came out of it in the long run. This was one of the primary reasons why AlphaTauri chose Ricciardo over younger drivers. CEO Peter Bayer stressed multiple times how having one young driver and one experienced driver would help the team. Now, with Ricciardo onboard, things seem to finally be looking up. 

Last time out at the Mexican GP, Ricciardo looked strong throughout the weekend. After qualifying fourth, he finished seventh, giving AlphaTauri its best result in 2023. Following the two races he drove before the summer break, and the three-month break after that, the Aussie worked behind the scenes to understand the car and help AlphaTauri do the same. As reported by lastwordonsports.com, “AlphaTauri is a team who were somewhat directionless in early 2023. This is not to dismiss the contributions of Tsunoda, which were often admirable in a largely uninspiring AT04 machine. But the impact of Daniel Ricciardo’s arrival cannot be overestimated.”

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“[Ricciardo’s] insights in set-up have been invaluable. Throughout the F1 paddock, it is understood that his feedback since returning has pushed the Italian outfit forward.” When he joined AlphaTauri, he had to drive Tsunoda’s set-up. That’s because AlphaTauri knew nothing else. Had he tried to adjust to that instead of following his gut, it could’ve very well been a repeat of his McLaren horrors. Fortunately, he’s understood the car and has personalized it to his liking. From the looks of it, his insights are working not just for him, but for Tsunoda as well.

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The Mexican GP pointed to positive signs for AlphaTauri. Although Tsunoda is benefitting from Ricciardo’s insights, he still needs to sort out some blaring issues that are detrimental to his future.

Tsunoda has yet to learn a thing or two from Ricciardo

In the build-up to Mexico, Ricciardo was confident that AlphaTauri had a top-10 car. That’s how confident he was in himself. While he proved it throughout the weekend, Tsunoda was quite close to doing it as well. Had it not been for his slight immaturity and temper tantrum, he could’ve very well helped AlphaTauri get an even better result. In the latter stages of the race, Tsunoda was in P8, with Ricciardo in P6. Had they finished there, AlphaTauri would’ve leapfrogged Alfa Romeo in the standings rather than being on equal points. But it wasn’t meant to be.

Tsunoda was trying to get past McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, and it looked like he had the pace to do so. On one occasion, he went for a move too optimistic into Turn 1 and turned early. In the process, he hit Piastri and spun out of the points. Instead of getting back on track, he punched the air in frustration and cursed on the radio like it wasn’t his fault. That’s where he lost out, and that’s where he has things to learn from Ricciardo.

The young Japanese even mentioned he looked up to Ricciardo for his behavior. “How he behaves with the team. Even in the moments that don’t go well, how he treats the team, what he says on the radio, those things give them more confidence,” he said. 

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Do you think Yuki Tsunoda can follow in the footsteps of Daniel Ricciardo and make amends in the remaining races?