Daniel Ricciardo finds himself at a crucial juncture in his Formula 1 career, with only two races potentially left to secure his position. Amidst swirling ultimatum rumours, Red Bull’s esteemed F1 advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has refrained from showering Ricciardo with commendations, contrasting sharply with his recent affirmations of Yuki Tsunoda’s satisfactory performance within the energy drink giant’s racing team.
Dr. Marko recently penned in his Speed Week column, “Franz Tost and I have always believed in him (Tsunoda). His problems were a lack of control, outbursts and a tendency to make mistakes. All of that has gone this season.”
Conversely, Ricciardo, a seasoned former winner and 34 years old, hasn’t been the recipient of similar accolades despite being given a lifeline to rejuvenate his racing career at the Red Bull junior team, RB. When queried about the diminishing support from Marko, the Australian racer retorted, “No, it’s not annoying. Obviously everyone’s talking positively when things go well, and they don’t talk so positively when they don’t. It’s just part of it.”
The New Zealand Herald is suddenly reporting that Marko has explicitly informed Ricciardo that his ongoing tenure is assured only for the forthcoming races in Japan and China. This announcement has placed Red Bull’s reserve racer, New Zealander Liam Lawson, in a favourable position to reclaim the race seat after a commendable performance during Ricciardo’s previous 2023 absence due to injury.
The initiative to resurrect Ricciardo’s flagging career seems to have been a strategy devised by Red Bull’s embattled team principal Christian Horner. “He’s a big boy,” Horner remarked in Melbourne, “he’ll pick himself up. I think it’s still very early in the year to even be thinking about next year.”
Inside the Faenza-based RB team, support for Ricciardo also continues, notably from the team’s CEO, Peter Bayer. Bayer, before leaving Melbourne, told Servus TV, “Daniel found his pace again after qualifying. We believe that from now on we can really rely on him and that he will understand the car more and more.”
Bayer noted that the 2024 car seems to align more naturally with Tsunoda’s aggressive driving technique. He elaborated, “Yuki brakes later and harder. Therein lies the secret, probably. The balance plays a role there, because if you brake hard, some of the aerodynamic support is lost. So it’s up to Daniel to brake harder,” he joked, suggesting, “But that is where the difference lies at the moment.”
GMM
