David Coulthard reflects on Daniel Ricciardo’s career decline, questioning his ability to adapt to modern Formula 1 challenges.
David Coulthard is surprised to see Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 career come to a halt. The former RB F1 driver was replaced by Liam Lawson for the final six races of the year, and the Scotsman praises Ricciardo’s journey, while acknowledging that his recent seasons have been challenging.
“Daniel Ricciardo’s career seems to be ending here in Formula 1,” Coulthard said on the Formula for Success podcast. “But it’s astonishing how quickly his career seemed to fade. He’s still a young man.”
“He burst onto the scene, truly established himself as one of the best overtaking drivers in the latter part of his career, and won a bunch of Grands Prix, leaving the sport with eight Grand Prix victories.”
“It’s always tough to talk about people you know, but if you set aside personal feelings and look at the data, it clearly hasn’t worked out over the last few years.”
Ricciardo appeared unable to master the ground effect cars, and Coulthard questions whether this reflects a lack of adaptability: “It’s an interesting question because we often talk about certain cars not suiting certain drivers.”
“If I look at my own career without getting lost in the emotion of all the distractions, regardless of the settings, circuits, grooved tires, or engines, I was always where I needed to be—there or close to it on my best days, and a bit off on my average days.”
“So, if I see life through my own experience, when I hear a driver say ‘this car doesn’t suit me,’ does any car truly suit a driver? The best drivers make the most of the regulations, whatever they are, throughout their careers.”
“And I’d extend that to Michael [Schumacher] when he came back. He was still a very good driver; he took pole position with Mercedes in Monaco, but he didn’t seem as sharp. I would’ve preferred to race against the returning Michael at Mercedes than the Michael at Ferrari.”
“I wonder if it’s simply that you have a certain amount of energy for a certain period where your full commitment is there, and the moment that full commitment isn’t, no amount of experience can make up for it.”
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Coulthard on Ricciardo: Was Ground Effect His Downfall? Coulthard on Ricciardo: Was Ground Effect His Downfall?
