Daniel Ricciardo did not get off to a good start in his Renault career, as the Aussie lost his front wing at the start of the race(before Turn 1) and then was forced to retire halfway through.
While Ricciardo did not collide with any cars during the start, the front wing came off largely because of contact with the ground on the bumpy surface of Albert Park.
Initially it seemed like Daniel Ricciardo wasn’t quite at fault with respect to this incident, but Renault boss, Cyril Abiteboul thought differently.
Abiteboul openly criticised Ricciardo for not giving Renault the start that was expected out of him.
Shout out to @danielricciardo…. 20 more to go. All good. We’re all still backing you in…. Was getting pulled from pillar to post but took the time for a last minute pic… absolute legend! Straight to the Pool Room! #f1 #AusGP #RenaultF1Team @ausgrandprix pic.twitter.com/A9FcHwivGK
— Joel Dragani (@Bellara12) March 19, 2019
“To be honest, I can’t say that Daniel gave what is expected of him, from a driver who won races, at least after this weekend that was the first with us,” Abiteboul admitted.
He conceded that Ricciardo did show flashes of brilliance during testing, but did so when there was next to no pressure.
When the pressure was high, Ricciardo did not quite live up to the expectations, something that the Aussie will have to work on as and when the season progresses.
“It was a weekend mainly composed of bass, apart from a few flashes of excellent performance from him and the car in free practice. But in free practice, we know, there is nothing at stake and nothing matters.
“We all have to do better. As always we say it’s a learning curve. When you change drivers, you have to take a few steps back before stepping forward. Here’s what’s happening to us.” he concluded.
Do you think it is wise of Abiteboul to go around openly criticising his number 1 driver, that too so early on in the season?
Daniel Ricciardo will need to take this criticism in his stride and perform well during the Bahrain Grand Prix
