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Daniel Ricciardo has been insistent his current form is not like it was at McLaren in 2022, as he chases his first points of the season. Speaking to onsite media ahead of the 2024 Japanese GP, the RB driver felt that there were some issues he faced in Saudi and Melbourne compared to his teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
Still in the hunt for a solid performance, Ricciardo has been criticised extensively in the last two weekends over his form. The gap between him and Tsunoda has been roughly two tenths of a second in the last two races. The Australian reckons he suffered from rear grip issues in Saudi Arabia and struggled slightly in high speed sections of the track in Melbourne.
Although most of his issues come down to the setup of his car, many criticised his form as a reflection of his McLaren woes.
Insistent that the McLaren days are behind him, Daniel Ricciardo reminded of his 2023 Hungarian GP performance where he had outqualified his Japanese teammate after jumping into an F1 car after eight months. The 34 year old had no knowledge of the AlphaTauri AT03 at that point and was able to build his confidence even after his hand injury.
RB senior personnel such as Laurent Mekies and Peter Bayer have suggested that it is down to the team to provide him with a car he can be confident of.
Asked about his situation prior to the Japanese GP, Daniel Ricciardo said:
“We're chasing a little bit of as always downforce, a bit of rear grip. To be honest, I struggled a little bit in the high speed in Melbourne and Saudi. Saudi we did see we were down a bit, so we kind of felt like we had a bit of an explanation for that. But it was still the case in Melbourne through kind of Turn 9 and 10, where I was down a bit compared to Yuki. I think we probably focus a little bit of our set-up on those areas to give me that confidence. And then I think the low and medium speed stuff, we're pretty much there.”
“It's not a McLaren situation. So I think it's just important now that I just keep working with my engineers, and we don't start taking too many suggestions or advice from the outside," he continued. "Of course, I would have wanted more results from the first few races, I'm not happy with it. But it's important that we just stay on course, ultimately, and don't get sidetracked.”
Pointing out his performance and form upon returning to the sport mid season in 2023, Daniel Ricciardo said:
“I jumped in last year and I was on the pace straight away in Budapest and this year feels like I'm a little bit behind, with better prep and more experience with the car and the team. So that's why we're just making sure that we're not missing something that is kind of out of our control for now.”
Daniel Ricciardo sheds light on the pressures of performing ahead at the Japanese GP
Daniel Ricciardo feels the pressure to turn around his performance at the Japanese GP is both internal and external. He reckoned he had good winter preparation and a good preseason test coming into the 2024 season. However, he feels that it is time he betters his performance on track.
He suggested that there had been changes made to his car after the Saudi Arabian race and there would be more changes prior to the Chinese GP.
Asked if he feels the pressure to turn around his performance woes, Daniel Ricciardo said:
“I say yes. But my answer is it is from me, more than anyone. I'm sure there is from the outside. But I came into this season having a full pre-season, I had a really good winter, I trained my butt off, and I feel really good. So everything in my head and through my years of experience tells me that we should start the season firing on all cylinders.”
Explaining the changes made to his car prior to Japan, Daniel Ricciardo said:
“Since Saudi, we changed a few things. And then probably for China, we'll change a few more things. We're obviously trying to make sure that everything is good and there are no flaws in anything. And it's just obviously for us peace of mind because we have obviously explored quite a bit.”
Despite Japan being his teammate Tsunoda’s home race, it has been a circuit that has suited Daniel Ricciardo historically. His peculiar style of driving around circuits like Suzuka has played to his strengths.
With Red Bull watching his performance closely, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko defended his performance after Australia. His race pace undoubtedly matched his teammate but his starting position on the grid compromised his chase for a points finish. A deleted laptime in the qualifying round for violating track limits had cost him dearly on home ground.
