Horner praises Ricciardo’s testing pace ahead of Alpha Tauri move

Daniel Ricciardo received praise for his pace at the Silverstone Pirelli test from Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

The 34-year-old stepped in the Milton Keynes team car, just hours before receiving the shock call from Helmut Marko that he will be replacing Nick De Vries at Alpha Tauri.

Data has shown that the Aussie has clocked times good enough to put him on the front row of the grid in the latest edition of the British Grand Prix.

“It was great to see Daniel hasn’t lost any form while away from racing,” said Horner, “and that the strides he has been making in his sim sessions translate on track.”

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“His times during the tire test were extremely competitive. It was a very impressive drive and we are excited to see what the rest of the season brings for Daniel on loan at Scuderia Alpha Tauri.”

Ricciardo’s career at Alpha Tauri begins at the next race – the Hungarian Grand Prix, scheduled for July 23.