What happened when Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull to avoid being a second driver in 2019? His departure kick-started a game of musical chairs at both Red Bull and AlphaTauri, with Helmut Marko and Red Bull management making incredibly harsh driver decisions concerning Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and now, Nyck de Vries. This year, he returned to the team as its reserve driver and has since expressed his inclination to race alongside Max Verstappen again, even though he’ll still be the second driver. The irony isn’t lost on us, and with Red Bull’s latest announcement, Ricciardo is a step closer to returning to Red Bull.

On Tuesday, Red Bull and AlphaTauri announced that Ricciardo would replace rookie Nyck de Vries immediately and would be back racing at the Hungarian GP. While everyone knew de Vries’ seat was in danger, no one expected the decision to be made after just 10 races into the season. But it did, and it wasn’t the most respectful of intimations.

Nyck de Vries’ manager opens up about Nyck’s unceremonious departure

Two days after the British GP, Pirelli conducted a tire test in Silverstone. As part of the driver roster, Daniel Ricciardo was set to drive the RB19 on Tuesday, his first F1 outing since Abu Dhabi last year—his first in a Red Bull since 2018. And as soon as he got into the RB19, Christian Horner saw the rekindled spark in Daniel, reminiscent of his Red Bull days, and informed Helmut Marko of his performance during the test in real-time. Marko didn’t waste any time deciding Ricciardo would replace de Vries and informed the Dutchman of his firing.

de Vries’ manager informed the Dutch media as soon as he heard about the replacement, and because of this, Red Bull was forced to make the announcement earlier than planned. According to formulapassion.it, “In the plans of the Milton Keynes team, the official announcement would have arrived later this week, but the ‘pressure’ coming from the Dutch newspapers forced Red Bull to come out into the open.” 

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Read More: Daniel Ricciardo Inches Closer to Lifelong Dream After AlphaTauri Sacks Nyck de Vries to Announce Him as Their Replacement

If a driver isn’t performing up to standards, a team can exercise its right to terminate their contract before time. But in most cases, teams let their driver go only after the season. But not only did Red Bull terminate de Vries’ two-year contract 18 months early, it also did it before the end of his safety period. de Vries was supposed to have time until his home race in Zandvoort right after the summer break to prove himself, but Helmut Marko changed his mind and added another driver to his list of dishonorable discharges. Considering his early termination, is the Dutchman already trying to find other options?

Nyck de Vries’ spotted with Toto Wolff after his dismissal

Before joining AlphaTauri, Nyck de Vries was Mercedes’ reserve driver, due to which he had a working relationship with Toto Wolff, and from the looks of it, he still does. A day after his firing, the Dutchman was stopped in Monaco with Wolff, probably to discuss his next step.

A seat in F1 doesn’t seem likely for him next year, especially not at Mercedes. With Lewis Hamilton and George Russell going strong, the Brackley team wouldn’t want to change anything. But considering he raced and won the Formula E Championship for Mercedes in 2021, a return to the series might not be out of the question. 

Watch This Story: Daniel Ricciardo’s Best Moments in F1

What did you think of Nyck de Vries’ dismissal from AlphaTauri?