De Vries was ousted just 10 races into his rookie F1 season after failing to match AlphaTauri team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, with Purple Bull calling up its third driver Ricciardo to interchange the Dutchman from subsequent week’s Hungarian Grand Prix onwards.
ANALYSIS: Why Red Bull’s patience wore even thinner with de Vries amid Ricciardo’s rebuild
Whereas he has no outlined expectations for his first races again at AlphaTauri, Ricciardo appreciates the massive problem he faces on the struggling outfit that’s at present final within the constructors’ championship.
“I am enthusiastic about it – it is a problem for positive to leap in and attempt to hit the bottom operating,” Ricciardo stated in an interview on F1’s YouTube channel.
“But in addition, I really feel like I have been by loads the previous few years the place I am not likely petrified of something that is going to be thrown my means.
“I recognize the automotive goes to have its limitations. It won’t have as a lot grip because the Purple Bull I drove a number of days in the past however, if it feels comparatively balanced, then that is one thing I can work with.
“They anticipate outcomes, performances, however I believe till I get within the automotive, it is laborious to outline what that’s. Is it a P8? Is it a P14? I do not assume there’s stress till the summer season break.
“However I additionally do not anticipate to get off to a sluggish begin. I need to hit the bottom operating and take a look at and in addition use what I’ve realized on this break day to place it to make use of.”
Ricciardo’s shock call-up got here simply half a season into his sabbatical after a bruising two-year stint at McLaren. And whereas Helmut Marko’s cellphone name arrived a lot sooner than anticipated, the Australian stated it got here on the proper time for him to have constructed up the need to return.
Nyck de Vries, AlphaTauri AT04
Photograph by: Erik Junius
“I did not actually need to assume a lot about it,” Ricciardo stated. “Being again on this [Red Bull] household, I really feel like I am simply going by all of it once more and these are the calls that I used to get.
“So, there was no query that I used to be going to say sure. It was simply the truth of OK, it’ll occur fairly quickly.
“I have been a part of the Purple Bull household for thus lengthy. And I do know that these items can occur. So regardless that I used to be for positive taking a while off this 12 months, behind my thoughts I knew perhaps I’ll get a name.”
However Ricciardo’s want to make a comeback did not return in a single day after admitting to “falling out of affection” with F1 in direction of the top of final 12 months.
Purple Bull’s Christian Horner stated earlier this 12 months that the team almost didn’t recognise the old Ricciardo in his first sim sessions as a 3rd driver.
Ricciardo revealed that after a number of classes he “began feeling like myself once more”.
“Getting again to Purple Bull and simply sort of the reception I had strolling again into that group was sort of – in a Positive means – a bit bit overwhelming,” he defined.
“As soon as I would accomplished a number of sim classes I began feeling like myself once more. And that sort of introduced me again to regular Daniel, the place I used to be falling again in love and able to go once more.”
A go to to the Tremendous Bowl and subsequent appearances on the Australian and Monaco grands prix then additional rekindled the flame, with Ricciardo realising he needed to be a part of the spectacle once more.
“It was in all probability across the time I went to Tremendous Bowl, being in a aggressive setting once more, I believe that was the place I began to get a few of these emotions again,” he added.
“And I used to be like, this sense hasn’t gone but, that I might love to simply be below the lights and simply compete proper now. In order that was actually a second the place it began to show round.
“I wasn’t like foaming on the mouth again in Melbourne, but it surely was constructing.
“Monaco was the place I used to be watching qualifying, and it was a really thrilling one. And that is the place I used to be actually beginning to get like: ‘Ah, being in a automotive round right here could be actually enjoyable.'”