Daniel Ricciardo, the Australian driver of RB VCARB 01, was forced to retire from the Formula 1 Grand Prix of China. The race took place on April 21, 2024, in Shanghai, China. Laurent Mekies, the team principal of RB, expressed disappointment with the unfortunate incident that led to Ricciardo’s retirement, considering the progress he had made during the race.
While Ricciardo was in ninth place under the Safety Car, his race took a turn for the worse when Lance Stroll collided with the back of his car at turn 14, causing significant damage to the floor. Stroll received a 10-second penalty for his actions, but this brought little consolation to Ricciardo as he dropped down the rankings and ultimately had to retire from the race.
Another unfortunate incident occurred when Yuki Tsunoda’s race came to an end after Kevin Magnussen of Haas collided with his rear wheel, causing Tsunoda to spin. Mekies believes that both Stroll and Magnussen could have avoided these incidents, and he hopes that such occurrences do not become a regular feature of Formula 1 races.
When asked about the possible causes of these crashes, Mekies stated that he was not sure, but believed that both incidents seemed unnecessary. He expressed his wish for these incidents to be isolated occurrences in an intense battle among midfield drivers.
Mekies expressed his disappointment with RB’s missed opportunity to score points in the Constructors’ standings. With both cars taken out by competitors in a single lap, RB could not fight for the valuable point they were aiming for. Mekies felt they had the pace and the right strategy to compete with their rivals, and Daniel Ricciardo was in a strong position to challenge Lewis Hamilton before the Safety Car was deployed.
Despite the disappointment, Mekies found some positive points in RB’s performance. He acknowledged that they had recovered from a difficult start to the weekend and praised Ricciardo for his improved performance compared to the beginning of the 2024 season. He believed that Ricciardo had made significant progress behind the scenes and was pleased to see him performing at a high level.
In conclusion, Mekies acknowledged that races can be unpredictable and sometimes things don’t go as planned. However, he found comfort in RB’s pace and Ricciardo’s performance, and remains optimistic for the upcoming races.
