Ricciardo makes his return at the Hungarian GP where Alonso won his first race

Daniel Ricciardo celebrates his unexpected return to Formula One at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where fellow veteran Fernando Alonso won his first race 20 years ago.

Daniel Ricciardo celebrates his unexpected return to Formula One at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where fellow veteran Fernando Alonso won his first race 20 years ago.

Winning has become routine for runaway championship leader Max Verstappen, the overwhelming favorite for Sunday's race. The 25-year-old Red Bull driver is chasing a seventh straight win and ninth overall this season. He already has 43 career wins -- three more than the 41-year-old Alonso and the 34-year-old Ricciardo have managed between them.

Verstappen was only 5 years old when Alonso won the first of his 32 races. It came at the Hungaroring in 2003 when Alonso drove for Renault, so long ago that Alonso even raced against Verstappen's father that day.

"You remember your first win," said Alonso, who won two F1 titles with Renault in `05 and '06. "You have a special relationship with that race and that city, and Budapest is one of my favorite cities."

The Spanish driver produced a master class in defensive driving at the Hungarian GP in 2021, superbly blocking several attacks from Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton to help his then-Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon win the race.

Alonso is one of the best drivers of his generation and arguably the most widely liked among fans. But there has been one downside.

"No more privacy in my life since 20 years," Alonso said. "But I (would) not change anything, because it's still your own choice and you try to follow your dreams."