Daniel Ricciardo's return to F1 with AlphaTauri is a homecoming of sorts for the Aussie who was greeted by many familiar faces upon his arrival at Faenza last week.
Since, Ricciardo has become reacquainted with the team with which he enjoyed his first competitive drive in F1 back in 2012 when it was named Toro Rosso.
Memories of those early days and breakthrough moments likely flooded back for the Aussie, but the 34-year-old is now focused on creating a new chapter in his career, one that he hopes will carry him back to the upper tier of the grid.
"I’m stoked to be back," said Ricciardo in AlphaTauri's Hungarian Grand Prix preview. "As always with the Red Bull family, you have to be ready for a call and when it came I jumped at the opportunity.
"The transition to AlphaTauri has gone smoothly. Last week, I was back in Faenza, the factory has changed a lot since I last raced for the team a decade ago, but there were still plenty of familiar faces and I felt at home as we prepare for the upcoming race."
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Ricciardo suggested that he has no preconceptions about AlphaTauri's AT04 despite the car's poor level of performance this season.
"When I drove the Red Bull in the tyre test at Silverstone last week it all felt very normal," he added;
"The AlphaTauri car will be what it is. I’m going to drive it and work from there. I don’t want to have too many preconceived ideas about it.
"I think if it’s a car that feels balanced, that’s something I can work with. It’s going to be a challenge, to jump in and just hit the ground running, but I’m excited about it."
©AlphaTauri
Ricciardo aims to leverage his experience to help AlphaTauri develop its challenger. But in the short term, the eight-time Grand Prix winner only has one idea in mind: to have fun!
"I’m looking forward to also developing the car and using my experience, and ultimately, I think, for Budapest, just go out and have fun, try and use more right foot than left and have a good time," he said.
"The key to this track is getting into a rhythm – you put so many corners together – and if the car is balanced, you can really have some fun."
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