Midway through the 2023 season, we saw a change in the Formula 1 driver line-up. AlphaTauri had seen enough from Nyck de Vries, and they ripped up his contract. It was De Vries’ first full year in F1 but the Red Bull junior team weren’t satisfied with how he was performing relative to Yuki Tsunoda. They gave him until the British Grand Prix in July, and then pulled the plug. That handed a lifeline to Daniel Ricciardo, the former Red Bull driver who had lost his McLaren drive at the end of the previous season. Christian Horner was prepared to afford him a second chance. But in the early rounds …
