Credits: IMAGO/ NurPhoto
Back-to-back underwhelming performances this season have jeopardized Daniel Ricciardo, as his RB seat is far from safe. The Australian driver is counting his days, and in doing so, he makes a desperate demand to prove his worth and, therefore, save his seat.
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Scott Mitchell-Malm from The Race recently spoke to Ricciardo and asked if he needed a new chassis in his VCARB 01 to overcome an undetected problem. Mitchell-Malm posed the question after Ricciardo was found to be struggling with his car repeatedly.
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“That was certainly something I raised the possibility of if I’m still struggling,” said the RB driver from Land Down Under to Mitchell-Malm. “Before we just tell me I’m shit, let’s at least get that sorted and put everything to bed.”
The 34-year-old has been struggling in the last few races, and his on-track performances have spoken negatively for him. He was no match for his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who consistently outperformed him this season and last.
Tsunoda out-qualified Ricciardo on all three occasions and finished ahead of the latter in two. The only exception was Bahrain, and that too because of team order, which put the experienced Aussie at the knife’s edge.
How is Daniel Ricciardo losing his ground?
Daniel Ricciardo did not have the start of the season he was hoping for, and things took a worse turn in Bahrain, the first race of 2024. The two RB drivers disagreed during the closing stages of the race after the team directed the Japanese driver to concede the position and swap with his teammate.
Tsunoda, upon getting the call, was extremely unhappy. The swap occurred in the end, but it was a little too late for Ricciardo to catch up on Haas’ Kevin Magnussen. This led the drivers to air their grievances during the race, and in the aftermath, a rift followed.
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Interestingly, both RB drivers are competing for Sergio Perez’s Red Bull seat for next year. However, it looks to be a very big ask for Ricciardo, given that his underperformance in the next few races might take away his RB seat.
In addition, Perez has been doing his job optimally at Red Bull and looks in control of securing the contract extension for 2025. This combined puts Daniel Ricciardo in an uncomfortable position, a quicksand he’s trying to get out of.
