‘Horner didn’t want De Vries in the first place, Ricciardo a way to move on’

Ricciardo will return full-time with immediate effect to join AlphaTauri, as a replacement for Nyck de Vries, until the end of the season.

His return was solidified when he impressed in Tuesday’s tyre test in the RB19, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner watching him.

Horner phoned Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s consultant, an hour into Ricciardo’s test to inform him how impressive the pace was, ESPN report.

Marko then called back shortly afterwards to tell Horner that he had fired De Vries, AlphaTauri’s underperforming driver.

De Vries had feared for his future after finishing 17th at the F1 British Grand Prix, last out of the drivers who completed the race.

De Vries’ manager then tipped off journalists in the Netherlands about his axing, which is how the story emerged.

Red Bull had no choice but to confirm Ricciardo’s return quickly when they intended to wait a few days.

Ricciardo’s best lap time in Tuesday’s tyre test was 1:27.415s - equivalent to P2 in qualifying for the F1 British Grand Prix just days earlier.

Of course, the tyre compounds, weather and track conditions were all different.

Horner was “especially impressed”, ESPN report.

The Red Bull boss had told Ricciardo, their third driver this season, that he would not be promoted straight into their race seat, the report states.

Horner did not want AlphaTauri to sign De Vries in the first place, so saw Ricciardo as the ideal fix.

Sergio Perez’s place alongside Max Verstappen is currently safe, ESPN say.

But Ricciardo exclusively told Crash at Silverstone that he would accept an AlphaTauri drive if it gave him a shot of landing his dream, a Red Bull race seat.