Former Formula 1 driver and expert on the championship’s official website Jolyon Palmer assesses Daniel Ricciardo’s failed start to the season…
Jolyon Palmer: “There are four Grand Prix behind him, in which Daniel Ricciardo did not perform quite as the Red Bull bosses expected of him.
The decision to replace Nick de Vries mid-season in 2023 was not an easy one for them, but they were looking for a viable option to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull if the Mexican fell out of form. The arrival of Ricciardo should have kept Perez on his toes, but so far Daniel is nowhere near good enough to take Perez’s place. He is also struggling at RB, with Liam Lawson looking to replace him.
Ricciardo’s accident with Alex Albon on the first lap at Suzuka was his fault, although some circumstances contributed. RB’s decision to start on the Medium tires was not bad, but it did leave the driver vulnerable to those who started from behind on the Soft. As a result, he stayed ahead of Hulkenberg, Bottas and Gasly when he ended up between the cars of Stroll and Albon at the exit of the second corner.
In a situation like this, when your rivals have better tires, you feel like you’re missing out. Ricciardo saw Stroll in the left mirror, but did not pay attention to Albon, who was sitting on the right. He decided there was no one there and pushed Albon off the track, sending them both off the road.
After four races, Daniel has no points and Tsunoda already has seven. And in the qualifications he is ahead of Daniel with a score of 4-0, having reached the final in the last three Grand Prix.
I thought he did well in qualifying. He lost tenth place to Yuki after giving his car to the young driver in the only dry practice on Friday.
But Daniel’s problem is that he’s not yet at Tsunoda’s level. The reason Ricciardo was enthusiastically brought back last season was purely to be a potential replacement for Red Bull, something he is still a long way from doing now. At almost 35 years old, he cannot boast of speed, nor is he particularly young, even though he is supported by both Red Bull management and the entire paddock.
He is a nice guy and has a positive influence on any team. He has won seven races for Red Bull in the past. Now he is not achieving results, but perhaps the team will give him more time than Nyck de Vries…
As much as Daniel has struggled at the start of this season, there is no denying that Yuki is driving fantastically and will certainly be fighting for a top position next year, be it Red Bull or perhaps Aston Martin, who will switch to Honda in 2026 -engines. .
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
