Daniel Ricciardo admits huge AlphaTauri change for unprecedented 2024 F1 season

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Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that the mentality has now shifted at AlphaTauri to no longer just be Red Bull’s driver academy for the first time before the 2024 F1 season.

The Faenza squad have exclusively acted as the finishing school in Formula 1 for the Red Bull driver academy since 2006. But Ricciardo believes AlphaTauri have completely changed their stance on how the team should operate next season. It would be an unprecedented change.

AlphaTauri were always Red Bull’s little sister under the control of team principal Franz Tost. But the Austrian will no longer pull the strings following his retirement from Formula 1 after the Abu Dhabi GP. Laurent Mekies quit his role as sporting director of Ferrari to replace Tost.

Daniel Ricciardo returned to Faenza after a decade in 2023

Red Bull also made a huge change with how AlphaTauri operated during 2023 with Ricciardo returning to Faenza. The 34-year-old drove for the team, while it was called Toro Rosso, from 2012 to 2013. He originally got into F1 with HRT as a Red Bull junior during the 2011 season.

Ricciardo is one of many drivers to have spent time in Faenza to brush up their skills as an F1 driver while on Red Bull’s books. The team also oversaw the emergence of Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Daniil Kvyat, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and lately Yuki Tsunoda.

Daniel Ricciardo opens up on AlphaTauri’s shift in mentality

Tsunoda will contest a fourth season as a Formula 1 driver for AlphaTauri in 2024, which will be Ricciardo’s 14th. Ricciardo also returned to the team this year as an eight-time Grand Prix winner, 32-time podium finisher and three-time pole sitter. He has now entered 240 events.

So, Ricciardo expects 2024 to be an unprecedented season where AlphaTauri try to be more than Red Bull’s little sister. He already feels the team took steps towards that goal over 2023 since the Australian’s return. But they can now start a year with a more ambitious mentality.

“I’m definitely excited for what’s ahead,” Ricciardo told Motorsport Week. “The second half of the season was much more promising than the first half. And a lot of changes are taking place for next year. I think it’s also just the approach that the team will be taking.

“It’s no longer a junior team approach. And I think it’s one where, probably with me coming into the season as a very experienced driver, they can also see what it can do for development. I think it’s given them a lot of confidence moving forward.

It is ‘no longer a junior team approach’ for AlphaTauri in 2024

“We can look at Mexico and get on the second row and we can show we belong there. Yuki, too, I mean, he is far from a rookie now. So, I think it’s the wrong word to be like the team is going to take themselves more seriously.

“But there is kind of this feeling that we’re no longer just here to nurture young drivers. We’re going to come and try and score some points and fight at the front of the midfield. That’s really the target.”

Ricciardo qualified in P4 for the 2023 Mexico City GP with a lap time 0.216 seconds off pole position. He also beat Red Bull’s Sergio Perez by 0.041 seconds to start beside Verstappen. The result marked AlphaTauri’s best qualifying in 2023 with Tsunoda’s best P6 in Abu Dhabi.