The objective is clear for Ricciardo

So it is official: next weekend at Silverstone, Daniel Ricciardo will make his F1 bow. However, it will almost certainly not be for the team that one initially thought. I wrote last month that if Jaime Alguersuari were to struggle any longer, he would be replaced at Toro Rosso by the 22 year old Australian. However, two successive eighth place finishes have strengthened Jaime's hand somewhat and it is impractical for the young Spaniard to step aside. Therefore, in a bid to give Ricciardo some experience of F1 at racing speed, Toro Rosso have decided to loan their third driver to the Hispania Racing Team.

The momentum behind Ricciardo has been growing for some time and it was evident that he would be in F1 sooner rather than later. Yet the form of Sebastien Buemi, coupled with the improvement of Alguersuari, had undoubtedly given Dr. Helmut Marko and co a headache. Although unexpected, it is a shrewd decision. Ricciardo will replace Narain Karthikeyan for the remainder of the season, bar the latter's home Grand Prix in India, and his team mate will ironically be former Red Bull-backed driver Vitantonio Liuzzi. Liuzzi will undoubtedly be the benchmark for the young Australian and the Red Bull bosses will be able to see at first hand whether he can cope with the cut and thrust of F1. Moreover, they will be keen to see their latest protégé beat one of their former starlets.

Ricciardo's progress will be studied intently because not only will it test his talent, but also his resolve. If he is unable to outperform the experienced Italian, or at least remain equal to him, then I feel Ricciardo's position in F1 will be less secure. If Dr. Marko's young talents cannot beat their team mate at the back of the grid, how on earth are they going to cope with the demands of a world title battle? Nevertheless loaning Ricciardo mid-season is potentially flawed. It will take at least a couple of races for Ricciardo to settle within the team, not to mention get used to the car. Furthermore, driving the slowest car on the grid may frustrate somebody who is used to continuously fighting at the front of the field. For a man currently lying fourth in World Series by Renault, battling over P23 will not be something he is accustomed to.

I'm sure, though, that Ricciardo will remain unperturbed. He will acknowledge this is only a temporary switch but must maximise this opportunity if he is to get the promotion he really wants. Liuzzi, in spite of his erratic career, is a very underrated racing driver and competing against Ricciardo will undoubtedly spur him on. Shipped out of Toro Rosso at the end of 2007, he will have a point to prove. The question is, will Ricciardo be able to prove his?

Josh.