Daniel Ricciardo, the Australian driver, is facing pressure to deliver results after a disappointing start to the season, according to former Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan. Ricciardo had a tough time during his two-year stint at McLaren and took a break from F1 at the beginning of 2023. However, he returned as a mid-season replacement for Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri. Unfortunately, his comeback was hampered by a wrist injury during free practice for last year’s Dutch Grand Prix. Now, in 2024, Ricciardo has a full season to prove his worth at a competitive level in Formula 1. So far, he has been outperformed by his RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda in the qualifying of both the first races and finished in a disappointing 16th place at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Jordan believes Ricciardo needs to improve his performance and show he still has what it takes to succeed in F1. Despite his popularity and infectious smile, Ricciardo’s previous success at McLaren has not been replicated, casting doubts on his future in the sport. Jordan expresses concern about investing sponsorship money in Ricciardo if he doesn’t start delivering results. It’s clear that Ricciardo needs a breakthrough soon, otherwise, he could be replaced due to his underwhelming performance.
“I mean, he shouldn’t be spinning the car, he shouldn’t be getting disoriented in a pit stop. You don’t see other people doing that.”
“So, Daniel, as much as we absolutely admire him and I think he’s a tremendous asset to Formula 1, the stopwatch never lies and the stopwatch, in terms of Daniel, the uncertainties are out there.”
“When we witness people like Oliver Bearman entering the scene in the same way he did, people like Daniel Ricciardo will have to be cautious and ask themselves: ‘How much longer do I have here?'”
Ricciardo has previously discussed his intentions to return to a racing seat at Red Bull, but with Helmut Marko recently stating that the Australian “needs to show something soon,” one could argue, like Jordan, that he needs to focus on keeping his seat at RB, especially considering the known possibility of Liam Lawson waiting in the wings.
Red Bull and RB reserve driver Lawson impressed while filling in for Ricciardo during his time out due to injury.
The New Zealander was left without a full-time racing seat in 2024, despite outperforming Tsunoda in his debut at Zandvoort, Singapore, and Suzuka.
For both Ricciardo and Tsunoda, Lawson serves as motivation to continue producing positive results or be replaced, which has become a common strategy in the relationship between Red Bull’s sister team.
