Ricciardo is making a shock comeback together with his {old} Faenza group from this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix onwards, changing rookie Nyck de Vries, who was moved apart after 10 races.
The Australian’s F1 return got here a lot faster than he had anticipated after needing to take time without work following a tough two-year spell at McLaren which sapped the 34-year-old of confidence.
After Ricciardo returned to Purple Bull as a 3rd driver this winter, group boss Christian Horner commented how the group virtually did not recognise the {old} Ricciardo throughout his first simulator outing, as he had appeared to select up all types of unhealthy habits whereas attempting to regulate his driving model to the McLaren.
When requested by Autosport how he managed to seek out his {old} type once more within the simulator, Ricciardo stated being reunited together with his former race engineer Rennie, who now runs the Milton Keynes simulator, has helped him regain confidence.
“Once I first drove the sim, clearly I have never been in a race seat for just a few months,” Ricciardo stated.
“I may see myself final yr missing just a little little bit of confidence. You simply get different ideas that creep into your thoughts.
“Going again into Purple Bull was thrilling for me, however I used to be additionally just a little bit like nervous excited. These first few runs on the sim, it took just a little bit to shake just a few issues out and attempt to simply discover my {old} self once more.
Daniel Ricciardo, Scuderia AlphaTauri
Picture by: Michael Potts / Motorsport Images
“I believe what helped lots was working with Simon Rennie, my engineer at Purple Bull again once I was racing there, he is been working the sim. Getting a little bit of familiarity working with him shortly acquired my confidence again.”
PLUS: The five challenges between Ricciardo and Perez’s Red Bull F1 seat
Ricciardo’s rebuild within the simulator led to a Silverstone Pirelli check that lastly satisfied Purple Bull that he was prepared to come back again and substitute de Vries.
The eight-time grand prix winner believes his familiarity with the Purple Bull vehicles’ enduring DNA made getting up velocity simpler than with the extra alien behaviour of the McLaren, which, in response to his former team-mate Lando Norris, continues to be very onerous to drive to today.
That allowed Ricciardo to regain belief in his pure driving model, which he felt compelled to maneuver away from at Woking.
“I believe the very nice factor was that when I shook off the cobwebs, though the automotive is completely different from 5 years in the past, it nonetheless felt for me like a Purple Bull automotive,” he stated.
“I felt like all the pieces that I used to essentially like in regards to the automotive was nonetheless present, just like the DNA, and that as properly stuffed me with some confidence that I may begin to drive actually the way in which I like or the way in which I would like.
“The final tick of the field was driving the actual automotive to guarantee that I may do it on observe. And the check went properly, and we’re in a superb place.”