Daniel Ricciardo had a tough start at the Japanese Grand Prix before colliding with the barriers after a crash with Alex Albon.
Helmut Marko, a consultant for Red Bull Motorsport, returned to Formula 1 in mid-2023 with AlphaTauri (now RB). The Australian driver aimed to prove his worth to Red Bull this season, hoping to be promoted to Milton Keynes. However, this year has been far from ideal for Ricciardo. Now, Marko criticized Ricciardo’s performance in the race.
The Australian driver had a slow start in the race at Suzuka, losing some positions. He tried to make a move on the Williams car at Turn 2, but both cars ended up colliding with the barriers. Marko stated that Ricciardo took a cautious approach in the first corner, resulting in a poor start.
Furthermore, the octogenarian emphasized that Daniel Ricciardo had a typical racing incident with Albon, which is common at a circuit like Suzuka. However, Marko believed that the red flag caused by Ricciardo’s incident worked in their favor. This allowed the Dutch driver to make adjustments to the front wing of his car.
While Ricciardo had a disappointing performance this year, his teammate achieved impressive results. The Japanese driver consistently outperformed the 8-time race winner and scored the only points for RB this season, including a 10th place in his home race at Suzuka.
Helmut Marko praised Tsunoda for his excellent start after the race resumed following the red flag. The Red Bull consultant considered the 23-year-old driver’s overtaking maneuvers as the highlight of the day for local fans. Yuki Tsunoda became the first Japanese driver in over a decade to score points at Suzuka, and Marko described his performance as exceptional.
Yuki impressively reached second place, impressing with his overtaking skills. It was the highlight of the day… Impeccable and extraordinary.
Without a doubt, Yuki Tsunoda has been putting pressure on Daniel Ricciardo this year. If the Australian driver cannot outperform his much younger teammate, his dreams of staying at Red Bull will likely come to an end. Therefore, Ricciardo needs to improve his results in the upcoming races to secure his future in the sport beyond this season. However, it seems that the 8-time race winner may face challenges ahead.
