Ricciardo faces a crucial GP at Spa, potentially defining his season.
As Esteban Ocon’s move to Haas F1 has been confirmed, a reshuffle is also anticipated soon at Red Bull.
It is no secret. After the summer break, Sergio Pérez may well find himself out of a seat at Red Bull.
Three drivers are in contention to replace him: Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, or Daniel Ricciardo. The upcoming Belgian Grand Prix could prove pivotal in this regard.
So, has Daniel Ricciardo heard anything from Milton Keynes? Will he need to change his racing suit soon?
“Such a predictable question!”
“I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t. But as always, I’m focusing on myself and what I can do. Every race, or every few races, the situation changes, and that’s the nature of the sport we are in. Things happen quickly, and you just have to try, in these situations, to focus on yourself and make the most of it, then see where the wind takes me. No change in approach.”
“Arriving in Budapest, I knew there were two important weekends before the break, and I obviously approached the break with a bit of momentum. So yes, that’s where my head is at. I’ll try to perform well.”
Daniel Ricciardo wisely decided to significantly boost his performance level since the Canadian Grand Prix. His last race in Hungary was also successful, though marred by a poor strategy…
“I’m definitely happier now than I was at the start of the season. I felt good all season, but I didn’t have the breakthrough, for lack of a better word, in the early races. And I think afterwards, I was able to get more out of my abilities, at least in the last few races. And the trend is going in the right direction.”
“I’m definitely happier. I’m more comfortable in my position and showing the signs of speed that I know I have. I’m certainly much happier than I probably was, I don’t know, two or three months ago.”
So, will the future of the RB F1 driver be decided this weekend in Belgium? It appears this Grand Prix will be crucial if you listen to Marko… and that’s what Daniel Ricciardo seemed to indicate in Hungary, stating the next two races would be critical.
“The races are more crucial than any others. So, arriving in Budapest, and it’s not something I heard from them… but even myself, I thought, ‘listen, these could be two very, very important races in my career and let it all out.'”
“I’m doing everything I can. That’s kind of my goal. I would love to return to Red Bull, but you know, there are also discussions about whether I’ll still be there. I’ve made it a point to prepare for each race. And of course, you do what you can. But for the upcoming two races, I told myself you have to give it everything. And that’s it. So, yes. We’ll see.”
To excel, Daniel Ricciardo requires an effective F1 car, and this was indeed the case, perhaps to the surprise of many, in Hungary. Will the same hold true this weekend at Spa?
“In Hungary, the circuit played to our strengths because we were already performing well from Friday. Certain circuits definitely favour us. But it remains unpredictable. Did we know we would be strong in Budapest? Not necessarily, but yes, we roughly know what this car likes, what settings work. It’s the mystery of the midfield. The position we find ourselves in is always somewhat unpredictable.”
Last year, Daniel Ricciardo was a reserve driver for Red Bull, and one can imagine he maintains strong ties with Christian Horner… Does this give him an edge over Yuki Tsunoda?
“Yes, I mean, I still talk quite a bit with Christian and Helmut on that front. And a lot still goes through them, honestly. And do I still have contacts with other team members? Not really, because obviously I am here at RB F1 and I’m focused on what’s happening here with my team, my engineers, and everything else. Obviously, last year, I was exposed… I was in the drivers’ meetings, like the post-session debriefs, and I would ask questions to all the engineers and everyone else, but that’s clearly not the case now.”
“But yes, Christian and Helmut, it’s good to see them after a good result. Helmut will let you know when the result isn’t good, but yes, I’m really happy to be back and to be under the microscope, and in this environment with a bit of that pressure, it’s fun.”
Is Ricciardo ready to team up with the temperamental Max Verstappen?
Daniel Ricciardo also appears closer to Max Verstappen than Yuki Tsunoda is… the two men were, of course, teammates at Red Bull in the past. And in Hungary, Max Verstappen made headlines by seeming to advise Daniel Ricciardo on the handling of the RB20, fueling much discussion!
However, wouldn’t it be challenging to be teammates with Max Verstappen, given his known fiery demeanor, recently seen again in Hungary? Does Daniel Ricciardo understand the Dutchman’s anger behind the wheel?
“I’ve overheard, let’s say, the little exchanges between him and GP (Lambiase, his engineer). Listen, it’s sometimes hard to explain why we… Ok, I’ll put myself in that position. There are races where I’m extremely calm and others where I’m restless and everything frustrates and annoys me. So, our actions or feelings aren’t always predictable. There must have been something that pushed him to a point where he felt he couldn’t take it anymore. I’m just going to push and see what happens. It’s clear he was probably building up frustration throughout the race. But yes, it happens. I don’t know how to react. Yes, having these conversations during the race, yes, it’s probably not ideal, but we’ve all been there at times when you know…”
“For me, the race was frustrating on Sunday too. For one reason or another, I chose silence to let things speak for themselves. And, alright, on the cool-down lap, I said a bit more, but in a way, I couldn’t be bothered to discuss it during the race because for me, what was done was done. Anything I could have said seemed a bit desperate or helpless. So that was my way of handling my frustration during the race. So it can vary. It’s hot and sometimes very agitated in the cockpit.”
Did Daniel Ricciardo fear reprimands from Laurent Mekies, the team director? How does his management style compare to Franz Tost, whom the Australian had also worked with?
“Yes, it’s true it’s different. And I think Laurent, Peter (Bayer) Alan (Permane) and many others who have come in have done so. Change can sometimes be beneficial but it doesn’t necessarily apply to Franz. They bring in new ideas. They’ve all spent time in other teams, other organisations. And yes, it’s just a new way of looking at things. I think that their intentions and how they go about it have made people stand up and say: Okay, this isn’t a junior team anymore. We’re making big boy decisions, we’re taking risks and we’re setting ambitious goals, goals that we realistically think we can achieve. So, it’s cool. It’s cool to see that.”
“In a way, I’m probably too honest with myself, because if I felt like it was still a junior team, I wouldn’t feel comfortable here. I’m 35 now. So I think I wouldn’t feel at home. And that’s definitely not the case. I think that’s a good way to understand the situation.”
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