F1 team principal questions rivals over Daniel Ricciardo decision

Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri — Photo: © LAT Images

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F1 team principal questions rivals over Ricciardo decision

Ricciardo was parachuted into the AlphaTauri F1 team halfway through the 2023 season

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Thursday 4 January 2024 22:27

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Williams F1 team principal James Vowles has questioned AlphaTauri's decision to replace Nyck de Vries halfway through the season with Daniel Ricciardo, citing the need to give rookies more time in the sport.

De Vries was axed by Red Bull's sister team in July last year after he failed to pick up a single point during a tough debut campaign.

Ricciardo was swiftly brought in to replace the Dutchman and despite suffering an injury that would rule him out for five races in 2023, the Australian retained his seat to drive alongside Yuki Tsunoda for the Faenza-based outfit next season.

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Another rookie who faced severe scrutiny was that of Logan Sargeant, who managed to pick up a single point during a difficult year with Williams.

Nyck de Vries was replaced at AlphaTauri by Daniel Ricciardo in July

Daniel Ricciardo (L) and Yuki Tsunoda (R) will remain as the team's two drivers in 2024

But Williams F1 team principal James Vowles has questioned the time that De Vries was given in the sport

Yet Vowles stuck by the 23-year-old American, as he questioned whether AlphaTauri really gave De Vries enough time to show his true capability within the sport.

Vowles: F1 rookies need time

“I would say any rookie this year – there were sort of three starting the year and two finishing the year – one not perhaps given their full potential within the season, because it is tough," he told KTM Summer Grill.

"In the old days, I don't know how to describe old days, five years ago, six years ago, what we used to do is do about 30,000km of testing with a driver before you'd even consider putting them in the race car.

"They need enough [time] that they can explore the boundaries and limits of it because the step from any other motorsport series and this one is enormous.

"To put numbers on it, F2 and even IndyCar for that matter would be about 14 seconds behind on a lap time. So you're in a different ballpark to what you're experiencing here.

Logan Sargeant has retained his Williams seat for 2024

"And it takes the drivers time to extract everything out of the tyres... You're trying to get all four tyres within a few degrees of their optimum temperature. The window is only about four or five degrees.

"You're trying to manhandle a car at 300km/h around a circuit and it's just a different world and it takes quite a while. Someone described it to me as it's driving a racing car, but now at warp speed.

"Everything happens so much faster. And it takes a long time for you to get used to finding those limits."