Daniel Ricciardo is making progress in his bid for a Formula 1 return after having a seat fit for his AlphaTauri debut.
This week, Ricciardo’s unexpected comeback to a full-time Formula 1 drive was made official after the Australian driver was chosen to take Nyck de Vries’ troubled spot in Red Bull’s sister team, AlphaTauri.
Having previously raced for Toro Rosso before joining AlphaTauri in 2012, Ricciardo is not only returning to Formula 1 but also to one of his former teams.
With only 10 days separating the announcement and the first free practice of Ricciardo’s first race back in Hungary, his return will require hasty preparation.
As a result, in preparation for his return, Ricciardo has gone through the crucial process of making sure he is comfortable in his car by having a seat fit done.
AlphaTauri uploaded pictures of the beaming Ricciardo sitting in the cockpit with expanding foam filling in around him to create a mold to their social media accounts.
“I was greeted with a very nice welcome back Honey Badger because it’s been 10 years since I was what was then Toro Rosso and now, of course is Scuderia AlphaTauri,” Ricciardo said.
“I’m learning my Italian again, I’m getting my accent going and this my first day at Faenza so a very nice warm welcome and happy to be here.”
While most of us define “seat fit” as turning a tiny knob on the side of our seats in our cars, Formula 1 drivers—and indeed, any motorsport athlete—have a slightly more sophisticated definition of the expression.
The team will have a seat mould built to fit the driver’s body precisely in order to make sure the drivers are comfortable because they will be sitting in these cars for about two hours while their bodies experience strong G-forces.
The procedure involves the driver wearing their race suit and boots, entering either a model of the cockpit or the actual framework of the car and sitting on a bag filled with expanding foam.
The foam molds to the shape of the driver when they recline, fitting to both the curve of the chassis and the shape of their body.
