"Where’s the pace gone?"- Daniel Ricciardo will be asked the same question by 'every team manager,' claims former F1 champion

Damon Hill believes Daniel Ricciardo will be questioned about his pace by every team manager who will look to hire him. Despite being a talent to reckon with, Hill hopes the Australian finds his form again.

Commenting on Ricciardo’s situation on Sky Sports F1, the 1996 F1 champion said:

“Danny’s [Ricciardo] been such a fantastic character for our sport, effervescent and always smiling and stuff, but something’s gone wrong. Not only in his pace at McLaren but also in his strategy for getting himself in a competitive car. Something fell through the cracks there and let’s hope he comes up smelling of roses somewhere and we see him back at the front.”

Damon Hill feels Daniel Ricciardo has fallen through the cracks when it comes to his pace and performance. The Briton believes the Australian will be posed with questions about his loss of pace by every team wanting to hire him. Hoping that Ricciardo would remain in the sport, Hill prayed for the McLaren driver to find his lost mojo.

Further explaining Daniel Ricciardo's form, Hill said:

“I think there is some logic to that. If you’re at least with a top team, even if you’re in the wings and waiting for the right opportunity, you will have information that is useful to another team perhaps, potentially. But every team manager would be looking at him and everyone, every team, will be looking at him and asking ‘where’s the pace gone? Is it coming back?’ And that’s the big question mark. We don’t know.”

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Red Bull team boss advises Alpine to sign Daniel Ricciardo

Red Bull CEO Christian Horner believes he would have signed Daniel Ricciardo if he were part of the Alpine F1 team. He reckons that the Australian might be able to find his lost mojo in his former team if they rebuild him as a driver.

Commenting on the former Red Bull driver's drop in pace, Horner felt Ricciardo had lost his confidence trying to adapt to the McLaren car with a switch in regulations in his second year with the team.

When asked on the Beyond the Grid podcast if he would have hired Daniel Ricciardo if he were at Alpine, the Red Bull CEO replied, saying:

“I probably would, to be honest with you, I think that they obviously know him from a couple of seasons ago, and he was very together during his last season there, scoring podiums. He’s the type of guy that I think you could rebuild him, it’s obviously not been a great experience for him, for whatever reason. Like in all sports confidence is a big element and for whatever reason, he hasn’t got the feeling from the car and across two sets of regulations. That’s probably eating away at his confidence but there’s still a very, very capable driver in there and you don’t just forget how to deliver. I hope for him he gets another opportunity.”

Lamenting the Australian’s unfortunate situation, Horner said:

“It’s a great shame because I think he’s a big personality and he’s a great, great driver. He’s obviously lost his way a bit, but would be great to see him remain in the sport.”

Having been replaced by McLaren before his contract ended with a one-and-a-half-season performance evaluation, Daniel Riccardo has been put in an unfortunate situation in his career. Many would say the Australian was better off at Red Bull and should have never made the switch, with some claiming the changes to teams in the last four seasons have cost the driver his confidence.

The Alpine team, who Ricciardo ditched for McLaren, however, might have the only competitive seat left on the grid in the remaining options for 2023 season. If he does not find a competitive seat for the following season, there has also been speculation of Daniel Ricciardo potentially taking a sabbatical from the sport.