Daniel Ricciardo has been open about his main motivation for racing in the midfield of Formula 1: to impress Red Bull and earn a place back in the team. Last year, Ricciardo showed promise in the Red Bull simulator and was chosen to replace struggling rookie Nyck de Vries. However, his partial season in 2023 was hampered by an accident in Zandvoort that caused him to miss five races. Now, in 2024, Ricciardo is determined to prove his worth and become Max Verstappen’s teammate once again. Unfortunately, the season has not started well for him.
Yuki Tsunoda, who is not considered a serious contender for a Red Bull seat, outperformed Ricciardo in the first two weekends of the season. Tsunoda beat Ricciardo in qualifying and, although Ricciardo finished ahead of Tsunoda in Bahrain, it was only because of a team order. In Jeddah, Ricciardo had a slow pitstop and failed to make progress in the race. To make matters worse, he spun at Turn 1 right in front of Sergio Perez, the driver he hopes to replace at Red Bull.
Ricciardo has different interpretations of what went wrong in the first two weekends. He takes responsibility for his performance in Bahrain, admitting that he left time on the table in qualifying. However, in Jeddah, he believes there are limitations with the car that have been preventing him from moving forward. He feels the car is not working at 100% and that there are some issues that need to be addressed. Despite encountering some problems, he knows they cannot be fixed in a short amount of time.
Ricciardo’s spin at the end of the race was the result of taking too much curb, possibly out of frustration. He acknowledges that he made a mistake and does not make excuses for it. The challenges he faces with the car and the performance of his teammate raise comparisons to his time at McLaren, where Lando Norris outperformed him. However, Ricciardo believes that he and Tsunoda have been evenly matched so far.
It is still too early to draw conclusions, especially considering the unique nature of the Jeddah track and the performance of other drivers. Ricciardo’s pursuit of a return to Red Bull is not in crisis, but he cannot afford to continue this run of poor form. The driver market is volatile, and Red Bull has a history of making quick decisions. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has already urged Ricciardo to find more speed and highlighted the impressive debuts of other drivers.
Despite the pressure and instability at Red Bull, Ricciardo remains focused on his mission. He knows he needs to show Red Bull that he is a stable and reliable performer. The upcoming race in Melbourne is crucial for him, and he is determined to push the team and deliver a strong performance. Ricciardo understands the importance of this season and is ready to shine and prove himself to Red Bull. The success he achieves in the first part of the season will determine his future with the team.
