Dr. Helmut Marko, the senior F1 consultant for Red Bull, has raised doubts about whether Daniel Ricciardo’s recent performance improvement, following a chassis change, is anything more than a “psychological” effect. This skepticism comes amidst ongoing concerns about Ricciardo’s performance at Red Bull’s junior team this year, which is critical for his prospects of securing a seat for the 2025 season.
Early in the season, Ricciardo faced difficulties keeping pace with teammate Yuki Tsunoda, prompting him to request a new monocoque for the China Grand Prix. The team granted his request, although Alan Permane, the sporting boss, admitted his doubts about the impact of this change.
In Shanghai, Ricciardo did appear to improve, but Marko was quick to point out that “Tsunoda’s lap times were on par with Ricciardo in the race.” Marko elaborated on the chassis update, explaining, “The whole thing was planned from the start, as this is our third chassis that we already wanted to put on the track. But of course, this change also played a psychological role after Daniel’s disappointing performances on the previous weekends. Things went much better for Ricciardo in China.”
Ricciardo himself has acknowledged the possibility that the new chassis might primarily be offering him “peace of mind.” He remarked, “So, ok, it’s one little box to tick. We didn’t find anything wrong with what I had, but sometimes these things might be visible, might not be visible. We’ll see, but I’m encouraged so far.”
GMM
