Australian Daniel Ricciardo will replace Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri from next weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the team announced on Tuesday.
Ricciardo was spending a year on the sidelines as Red Bull reserve driver, after being replaced by Oscar Piastri before the start of the 2023 season.
Let’s have a look at the most famous mid-season driver changes that have taken place during an F1 season.
Michael Schumacher - Benetton (1991)
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER OF GERMANY PREPARING TO TEST HIS NEW F1 BENETTON RENAULT. | Photo Credit: Pascal Rondeau/ Getty Images
Michael Schumacher first raced in F1 for Jordan in 1991 as a replacement for Bertrand Gachot who had run into trouble with the police in London. After an impressive qualifying performance, Benetton boss Falvio Briatore quickly signed him up from the next race, with Roberto Moreno going in the opposite direction.
Carlos Sainz - Renault (2017)
Carlos Sainz of Spain and Renault Sport F1 walks in the Paddock before practice for the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit. | Photo Credit: Charles Coates/ Getty Images
Carlos Sainz was part of the Toro Rosso F1 team during the 2017 season and was signed up by Renault to replace outgoing Jolyon Palmer at the end of the season. But the French manufacturers decided that the Spaniard will be in the car from the US Grand Prix partnering Nico Hulkenberg. Sainz managed a points finish in his first race, something Palmer couldn’t manage all season.
Jacques Villeneuve - Renault (2004)
Jacques Villeneuve of Canada and Renault during practice for the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit. | Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/ Getty Images
1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve was drafted into the Renault team for the last three races of the 2004 season to replace Jarno Trulli. Trulli had won his first F1 race at Monaco earlier in the year but had a string on non-scoring finishes and a fallout with team boss Briatore brought the partnership to a sudden end.
Jarno Trulli - Prost (1997)
Prost-Peugeot driver Jarno Trulli of Italy during Formula One Winter Testing in Barcelona, Spain. | Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/ Getty Images
1997 was Trulli’s first season in Formula 1. After impressing in the opening races for Minardi, he was called on to replace an injured Olivier Panis at Prost, competing for the team till the end of the season.
Pedro De La Rosa - Mclaren (2006)
Pedro de la Rosa of Spain (R) and McLaren-Mercedes poses alongside Kimi Raikkonen of Finland and McLaren-Mercedes in the pit lane during the previews for the French Formula One Grand Prix. | Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/ Getty Images
Juan Pablo Montoya was one of the best drivers in F1 during the early years of the 2000s. His performances with Williams earned him a seat at Mclaren in 2005 but the Colombian struggled to match with teammate Kimi Raikonnen who was fighting for the championship. Midway through 2006, Montoya ditched F1 for NASCAR and Mclaren brought in Spaniard Pedro De La Rosa to replace Montoya till the end of the season. Mclaren though went after a rookie to fill the seat the next season - a young Briton called Lewis Hamilton.
Christian Klien/ Vitantonio Liuzzi - Red Bull (2005)
Christian Klien and Vitantonio Liuzzi of the Red Bull Formula One Team during the Red Bull Racing Formula One Team Launch at Melbourne Docklands. | Photo Credit: Robert Cianflone/ Getty Images
Red Bull in 2005 went for a strange strategy regarding their second driver. While F1 race-winner David Coulthard was its undisputed Number 1 driver, the second seat was shared between Vitantonio Liuzzi and Christian Klien. Klien had driven for Jaguar, Red Bull’s predecessor team the previous season, while Liuzzi came in after good performances in Formula 3000. The chop-and-change style of driver management was never to be seen in F1 after 2005.
Max Verstappen/ Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull (2016)
Race winner Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing and third placed Daniil Kvyat of Russia and Scuderia Toro Rosso celebrate on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Germany at Hockenheimring. | Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/ Getty Images
17-year-old Max Verstappen was spotted by Helmut Marko during his F3 exploits and was immediately signed to race for Toro Rosso in 2015 along with Carlos Sainz. Midway through the 2016 season, at the Spanish Grand Prix, Redbull driver Daniil Kvyat was dropped down to Toro Rosso after his constant on-track incidents, especially with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel -- who called him a ‘torpedo’ -- and Verstappen was promoted. The young Dutchman promptly won his first ever race for Redbull after the two leading Mercedes collided with each other, making him the youngest ever driver to win an F1 race.
Alexander Albon/ Pierre Gasly - Red Bull (2019)
The Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso teams are presented with new engine blowers in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona. | Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/ Getty Images
Alexander Albon was picked up by Toro Rosso in 2019 to partner Daniil Kvyat after some good performances in F2. Midway through the season though Pierre Gasly was demoted down to the team from Faenza. Albon joined Red Bull during the summer break and fared much better than Gasly even coming close to a podium finish in Brazil before he was spun around by Lewis Hamilton.
Giancarlo Fisichella - Ferrari (2009)
Kimi Raikkonen of Finland and Ferrari and Giancarlo Fisichella of Italy and Ferrari attend a press conference during previews to the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix. | Photo Credit: Clive Mason/ Getty Images
Giancarlo Fisichella was racing for Vijay Mallya-owned Force India during the 2009 season. But after an injury to Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, and his replacement Luca Badoer failing to impress, Fisichella was brought in by the Scuderia. The Italian driver realised his lifelong dream of racing for the Italian manufacturers for the final five races of the season.
Mika Salo - Ferrari (1999)
Mika Salo of Finland stands in the Ferrari pits before the European Grand Prix held at the Nurburgring in Nurburg, Germany. | Photo Credit: Michael Cooper/ Getty Images
Mika Salo began the 1999 season without a seat. He was called in at BAR to replace the injured Ricardo Zonta midway through the season for four races. He was then called up by Ferrari to replace Michael Schumacher, who had broken his leg in a crash at Silverstone. Salo managed to get a podium for the Scuderia at its home race at Monza before making way for the returning Schumacher again.
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