---
title: "Ricciardo Back to Red Bull F1 Team as Largely Ceremonial ‘Third Driver’"
date: "2022-11-18"
modified: "2022-11-18"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/ricciardo-back-to-red-bull-f1-team-as-largely-ceremonial-third-driver-marko"
categories:
  - "F1"
  - "News"
  - "Racing"
---

# Ricciardo Back to Red Bull F1 Team as Largely Ceremonial ‘Third Driver’

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/18/GettyImages-1244874715.jpg>)
*\<em\>Getty\</em\>*

Daniel Ricciardo returns to [Red Bull Racing](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/perez-furious-with-verstappen-for-brazil-f1-snub-after-all-ive-done-for-him>) for the 2023 Formula 1 season, though this time as the outfit's "third driver," team advisor Helmut Marko told *[Sky Sports F1](<https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/24239/12750234/daniel-ricciardo-set-to-return-to-red-bull-as-teams-third-driver-in-formula-1-2023>)* Friday. The popular Australian drove for the championship-winning squad from 2014 to 2018 before leaving for McLaren, where he [was recently sacked](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/its-done-daniel-ricciardo-is-leaving-mclaren-f1-at-the-end-of-2022>) in favor of young star [Oscar Piastri](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/who-is-oscar-piastri-meet-f1s-most-talked-about-young-driver>).

Red Bull officially announced its most recent hiring, though it's understood that Ricciardo will fulfill a largely ceremonial role that will include show runs and lots of sponsorship commitments. The team's current reserve driver, Liam Lawson, will reportedly remain in his current position, meaning Ricciardo will likely bear the "development" or just "third" driver title.

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/18/GettyImages-93526007.jpg>)
*Getty*

"Ricciardo will be our third driver," Marko told *Sky Sports.* "We have so many sponsors, we have to do show runs, so of course he's one of the most high-profile and best-suited."

It sounds as if Red Bull simply needs someone trustworthy who doesn't crash the car, and who can also draw large crowds to festivals and other sponsor-organized events. And Marko seems to believe Ricciardo fits that bill.

The final Grand Prix of the season will take place [this weekend in Abu Dhabi](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/44837/f1-race-director-made-human-error-in-abu-dhabi-says-fia-investigation>).

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## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)