An ex-Formula 1 team principal has revealed that Daniel Ricciardo’s name appeared at the top of a replacement list following his departure.
Ricciardo was recently dropped by Visa Cash App RB mid-season, potentially forcing him into an early retirement from the sport.
The Aussie star spent the majority of his F1 career affiliated with the Red Bull family, having driven for the main team, the junior team, and in his role as reserve driver when he was left without a seat at the start of the 2023 season.
Many within the paddock were shocked when the 35-year-old made the questionable decision to leave Red Bull following the 2018 season, no longer content with playing second fiddle to team-mate Max Verstappen.
Ricciardo left Christian Horner’s outfit for Renault where he competed for the 2019 and 2020 season in a move that many fans claim marked the beginning of the end for his F1 career.
Daniel Ricciardo joined Red Bull in 2014 to partner Sebastian Vettel
Daniel Ricciardo left Renault in 2021 after two seasonsDaniel Ricciardo wanted by F1 team
Ricciardo would eventually go on to leave Renault for rivals McLaren, where he would endure a torrid time.
Now, in a bombshell interview via the High Performance podcast, former Alpine chief Otmar Szafnauer has revealed how high the demand for Ricciardo’s return was upon his arrival as team principal despite the way he left the team.
Szafnauer said: “I got to Alpine after both Daniel and [Nico] Hulkenberg left and we had an empty seat before we got Gasly in. On our list [again] was Daniel and Hulkenberg,”
“I remember talking to the engineers at Renault and they’re all singing Daniel’s praises.
Otmar Szafnauer was sacked as Alpine’s team principal in 2023
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“How quick he was, he was quicker than Hulkenberg, and Hulkenberg and Daniel were neck and neck until towards the end, then Daniel got the better of him. I don’t know what happened.”
As Szafnauer alluded to, Alpine eventually opted for a driver pairing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon.
His team did not extract such fruitful performances with those drivers, though, pinpointing the start of Alpine’s rapid decline, only managing to finish sixth in 2023.
It seems Szafnauer was not the main cause of their problems however as since his axing from Alpine, the team have dropped significantly, now second from last with only 13 points delivered by Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.