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NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JULY 07: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Red Bull Racing walks in the Paddock during previews ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone on July 7, 2016 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

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NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JULY 07: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Red Bull Racing walks in the Paddock during previews ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone on July 7, 2016 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
After many rumors surrounding the future of Daniel Ricciardo, the Australian driver has finally put an end to them and announced his decision. The former McLaren and Renault (now Alpine) driver has rejoined Red Bull, 4 years after leaving the Milton-Keynes-based constructors.
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Life really does come a full circle and Daniel Ricciardo’s story proves just that. He left Red Bull in 2018 to avoid becoming the number 2 driver to Max Verstappen. However, not only is he not their number 2 driver, he returns to RBR as their reserve driver for next year.
The Milton-Keynes-based team announced the arrival of the Aussie on their Instagram account. They captioned the post, “He’s back! Welcome home, @danielricciardo #F1 #RedBullRacing #DR3ack.

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MONTE-CARLO, MONACO – MAY 26: Pole position qualifier Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Red Bull Racing smiles in the press conference after qualifying for the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Monaco on May 26, 2018 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
The former Red Bull driver forced a move from Renaut to McLaren in order to be more competitive amongst his compatriots. However, his move to McLaren did not yield the results he would have expected. It was a disappointing couple of years for the Honey Badger in the Papaya team as his teammate Lando Norris consistently outscore him.
READ MORE: American at Heart, Only One Thing Holds Daniel Ricciardo Back From Achieving Dreams Across the Pond
Daniel will now focus on keeping himself in the loop and hope to earn himself a seat on the grid in the future. It’ll be intriguing to see how he manages to do the same after some exciting young prospects have come in from F2.
F1 Twitter reacts to Daniel Ricciardo returning to Red Bull Racing
The Honey Badger’s move to Red Bull doesn’t come as a big surprise as multiple reports almost confirmed it before the start of the Abu Dhabi GP. However, Twitter fans were not exactly happy with Ricciardo’s move back to Red Bull.
daniel returning to red bull after sampling the competition pic.twitter.com/bDDFo3Gm8K
— Maude (@schumihoney) November 23, 2022
Wow. He left because he didn’t want to be a second driver and now he comes back as the third. His ego is his worst enemy. https://t.co/q40Z0hCS1Z
— Omi⚡️Novoa (@Omi_Novoa) November 23, 2022
You wake up in 2022 and Daniel Ricciardo has signed for Redbull again.
— chlo (@formulachlo) November 23, 2022
Daniel Ricciardo going back to RedBull might be the worst full circle moment yet.
— t 🌿 (@formullana) November 23, 2022
Fans pointed out Daniel Ricciardo’s ironic return to 2022’s WCC champions.
He left RB because he didn’t want to be number two. Now he’s back being number three.
— Francisco Alv (@PakoAlvarado12) November 23, 2022
Daniel left red bull because "he didn't want to be a second driver" and now he's cleaning up floors
— Buggie !! 🐞 heartbroken (@yassifiedrbrseb) November 23, 2022
He's back…… as a 3rd driver. Lol https://t.co/WJmMT8CqPy
— Azim 🇩🇪 (@WanNazarulAzim) November 23, 2022
The honey badger was the subject of hilarious trolls on Twitter.
and everybody boo’d https://t.co/CkeWx5ackr
— ray (@EHarvsss) November 23, 2022
daniel next year driving red bull’s third car pic.twitter.com/MruFu8aMKo
— Maude (@schumihoney) November 23, 2022
daniel ricciardo is joining redbull for 2023 pic.twitter.com/mCl7JevCpg
— dee⚠️ (@bruvcedes) November 23, 2022
Moreover, fans also compared Daniel’s move to RBR to returning to an ex-partner.
why daniel going back to redbull…it’s like going back with ur ex girlfriend
— cie (@hamiItsn) November 23, 2022
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WATCH THIS STORY: Daniel Ricciardo’s Best Moments in F1
yall really expect red bull to treat daniel better than mclaren did? oh yeah because red bull is so known for treating their drivers well, especially their second and third drivers
— cassidy two 🇩🇪👨🍳💕🏳️🌈✨️ (@hecbellerin) November 23, 2022
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Daniel will hope to find a team and return to the grid. But is a reserve driver role that bad? Moreover, can he be back to becoming a full-time driver in F1 soon?
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