Daniel Ricciardo suffered a setback during the qualifying session at Albert Park in 2024. His lap time in Q1 was deleted, causing him to fall into the relegation zone. The RB driver believed it was his best lap of the season, but was overshadowed by his teammate. The 34-year-old driver was baffled by Yuki Tsunoda’s impressive pace in Melbourne.
During the Australian GP qualifying, Ricciardo had high expectations. He intended to prove his strength at Albert Park and silence his critics. However, he was eliminated in Q1 for exceeding track limits.
Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda advanced to the next phase of qualifying and secured eighth place. This exceptional performance added even more to Ricciardo’s disappointment.
Despite feeling pleased with his final attempt in Q1, Ricciardo was surprised by Tsunoda’s time. The Japanese driver gained a significant advantage over Ricciardo, leaving the eight-time Grand Prix winner perplexed about where he was losing time. He will investigate the cause before the 58-lap Grand Prix.
As the local hero in Melbourne, Ricciardo’s team made changes to his car to optimize his chances of scoring points. After discovering discrepancies in the cars following the race in Saudi Arabia, they decided to modify parts of Ricciardo’s car for the Australian GP weekend.
Ricciardo discussed the changes made to his car after qualifying. The team installed new parts on his VCARB 01 due to differences between the two cars. Despite feeling more comfortable with the chassis, this did not translate into a better performance in qualifying. However, Ricciardo remains determined to entertain his local fans in tomorrow’s race.
