Daniel Ricciardo loses ally as coach works with F1 rival after Red Bull return

13 February 2023 , 21:00

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Daniel Ricciardo is not on the F1 grid in 2023 (Image: Seth Wenig/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Daniel Ricciardo's long-time coach Michael Italiano has remained in Formula 1 despite the Aussie's McLaren exit, linking up with another driver.

Ricciardo has dropped off the grid for the 2023 season after his McLaren career was cut short. He was due to have a third year with the team, but his persistent difficulties in finding consistency and results with his car led to that agreement being terminated 12 months early.

The 33-year-old decided against pursuing a race seat at a team further back on the grid and instead took on a reserve role back at former team Red Bull. It is not expected he will get too many opportunities to drive an F1 car, other than at marketing events.

On the plus side, that means he has not had to go through his usually rigorous pre-season training regime to get fit before the first race weekend. It also means he has not needed the services of his coach, fitness specialist Italiano.

As a result, not needed by his client and long-time friend Ricciardo, Italiano has taken on a new client in the F1 world. He has been hired to work with Yuki Tsunoda as the Japanese racer bids to cement his place in the sport in his third season with AlphaTauri.

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Italiano recently posted a selection of photos from some time spent in the UAE with his new client. Some are clearly of their sessions working together, while other appear to be more about leisure time and getting to know each other better.

Tsunoda confirmed the team-building nature of the trip in a recent Q&A put out by his team. He said: "I was there for two weeks, working on my general fitness and the time was also important to get to know my new coach, who used to work with Ricciardo.

"One of the main targets of the camp was to build our relationship, so that we understand one another before testing and racing begins. That went well and so did the actual training, where we focused mainly on the endurance side."

Meanwhile, Ricciardo recently told Mirror Sport of his 2023 plans: "I'll be present, I think it's around eight races, at the moment. Australia, Melbourne will be my first one. That's the first time you can see me in the flesh, in person, the real thing.

"Melbourne, Monaco – I'll definitely be there, I still live there – the three American races, probably Montreal as well. Silverstone, I know that one. So there's a few that I'll be at, but Melbourne is the number one for me."

Daniel Moxon