Daniel Ricciardo will need to recover from a disappointing start to the 2024 season if the 34-year-old driver wants to keep his hopes of joining Red Bull alive. Ricciardo, who made a surprising return to the F1 grid with AlphaTauri in mid-2023, aims to return to Red Bull in 2025. However, the Australian driver has had a lackluster start to the 2024 season, with two unsatisfactory results. Now, former F1 world champion Alan Jones has expressed concerns about Ricciardo’s future prospects.
Jones acknowledged that Ricciardo was in a challenging situation, as he was outperformed by teammate Yuki Tsunoda in the first two races. The 77-year-old driver urged his compatriot to improve his results and put on an impressive performance in the upcoming races. Jones emphasized that the 8-time race winner cannot afford to be stuck in the middle of the F1 pack.
Furthermore, the former F1 champion admitted that, in his opinion, Ricciardo’s best days in Formula 1 are behind him. The 77-year-old driver pointed out that Ricciardo had driven several competitive cars throughout his career. Jones believed that it was crucial for Daniel Ricciardo to stand out from his competitors to secure his future in the sport.
Ricciardo had two disappointing seasons with McLaren in 2021 and 2022. The 34-year-old driver attributed his below-par results to the characteristics of the car used by the Woking-based team. As a result, the 8-time race winner agreed to part ways with the team before the end of his contract.
Alan Jones argumentó que Daniel Ricciardo no puede culpar repetidamente al coche por sus actuaciones decepcionantes. El piloto de 77 años enfatizó que esta tendencia ha sido recurrente para el piloto de 34 años, especialmente durante su tiempo en McLaren. Ricciardo había mencionado fallos en el VCARB01 por su actuación mediocre en el GP de Arabia Saudita de esta temporada.
Ciertamente, Daniel Ricciardo sigue determinado a regresar a un equipo puntero en la F1. Sin embargo, el piloto de 34 años está actualmente en desventaja después de dos rondas desastrosas. En consecuencia, Ricciardo buscará revertir la situación en las próximas carreras para demostrar una vez más su valía. Queda por ver si Ricciardo logrará obtener un resultado satisfactorio en su carrera en casa este fin de semana.
